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Al Qayyarah power station

Gas power plant in Nineveh, Iraq. Approximate location 35.78818, 43.2521.

GasNinevehIraqOCGT

Al Qayyarah power station is a 1,125 MW gas power station in Nineveh, Iraq. It is operated by Ministry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #25 of 91 Iraq power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 53.0% of Iraq's electricity; the national grid averages 683 gCO₂/kWh (1.6% low-carbon) (2024).

1,125MW installed capacity
1,267,071homes powered (est.)
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_alqayyarah_iraq.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAl Qayyarah power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryIraq · Nineveh GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates35.78818, 43.2521 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity1,125 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerMinistry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2013 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyOCGT GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,773,900 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#25 / 91 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 / 55 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.52× · 740 MW · n=55 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,267,071 calculated
Environmental severityC1 · 46/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 750 MW for Al Qayyarah power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,125 MW, Al Qayyarah power station is well above the median gas plant in Iraq (740 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Iraq

Al-Khairat power station: 5,835 MW6kAl-Khairat…Al Faw IPP power station: 4,950 MW5kAl Faw IPP…Besmaya power station: 4,800 MW5kBesmaya po…Abu Ghraib power station: 3,000 MW3kAbu Ghraib…New Dhi Qar power station: 3,000 MW3kNew Dhi Qa…New Rumaila power station: 2,670 MW3kNew Rumail…Wasset power station: 2,540 MW3kWasset pow…Al Amarh power plant: 2,150 MW2kAl Amarh p…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Ministry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~23°Ctypical annual mean
~31°Ctypical warm-season mean
Hot semi-arid steppe: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
46/100environmental-severity index
26.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
541 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #17 largest gas power plant of 55 in Iraq by capacity.

Iraq has 55 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 61,570 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.78818, 43.2521 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Al Qayyarah power station?

Al Qayyarah power station is a 1,125 MW gas power plant in Nineveh, Iraq, commissioned in 2013.

How many homes can Al Qayyarah power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,267,071 homes (estimated).

Who operates Al Qayyarah power station?

Al Qayyarah power station is operated by Ministry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%].

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