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ALBAHA

Oil power plant in Mintaqat al Bahah, Saudi Arabia. Approximate location 20.09, 41.439.

OilMintaqat al BahahSaudi ArabiaCO₂ modelled

ALBAHA is a 81 MW oil power plant in Mintaqat al Bahah, Saudi Arabia. It is operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 61k homes (estimated). It ranks #135 of 156 Saudi Arabia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 217,250 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 51k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 34.5% of Saudi Arabia's electricity; the national grid averages 692 gCO₂/kWh (2.2% low-carbon) (2024).

81Source-backed capacity
60,819homes powered (est.)
217,250t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030639.

Data status

Known data

FacilityALBAHA WRI
CountrySaudi Arabia · Mintaqat al Bahah WRI
Coordinates20.09, 41.439 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity81 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSaudi Electricity Company (SEC) WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions217,250 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#135 of 156 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#64 of 76 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.22× · 365 MW median · 76 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent60,819 calculated
Climate21.9°C · HDD 206 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 42/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000409126); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 81 MW, ALBAHA is below the median oil plant in Saudi Arabia (365 MW). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

~217,250 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

51kpassenger cars driven for a year
28khomes' yearly energy use
3.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Saudi Arabia

SHAIBA (SEC): 6,794 MW7kSHAIBA (SE…RABIGH: 4,480 MW4kRABIGHRiyadh 9: 3,760 MW4kRiyadh 9Riyadh 10: 3,161 MW3kRiyadh 10RABIGH-2: 2,800 MW3kRABIGH-2JEDDAH SOUTH: 2,640 MW3kJEDDAH SOU…Shuqaiq Steam Power Plant: 2,640 MW3kShuqaiq St…Jeddah PP3 power plant: 1,988 MW2kJeddah PP3…

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

Owner

Operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.9°Cannual mean temp
206heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,622cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,906 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 15 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 22 °CON: 18 °CND: 16 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 92% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 17/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

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)
42/100environmental-severity index
13.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
81 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 #64 largest oil power plant of 76 in Saudi Arabia by capacity.

Saudi Arabia has 76 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 61,625 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.09, 41.439 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is ALBAHA?

ALBAHA is a 81 MW source-record oil power plant in Mintaqat al Bahah, Saudi Arabia, commissioned in 1983.

How many homes can ALBAHA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 60,819 homes (estimated).

Who operates ALBAHA?

ALBAHA is operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).

How much CO₂ does ALBAHA emit?

ALBAHA has modelled emissions of about 217,250 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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