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Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project — Australia

Coal power plant in South Australia, Australia. Approximate location -27.938926, 134.726094.

CoalSouth AustraliaAustralia

Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project is a 840 MW coal power station in South Australia, Australia. It is operated by Altona Energy [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.1 million homes (estimated). It ranks #19 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

840MW installed capacity
1,051,200homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityArckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project GEM-coal
CountryAustralia · South Australia GEM-coal
Coordinates-27.938926, 134.726094 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity840 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerAltona Energy [100%] GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions3,679,200 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#19 / 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 / 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.20× · 700 MW · n=38 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,051,200 calculated

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 840 MW, Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project is well above the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Key facts

Share of Australia coal capacity
2.6% of 32,918 MW across 38 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Australia

Bayswater: 2,665 MW3kBayswaterLoy Yang A: 2,215 MW2kLoy Yang ALiddell: 2,051 MW2kLiddellKurri Kurri power station: 2,000 MW2kKurri Kurr…Gladstone: 1,680 MW2kGladstoneHazelwood: 1,600 MW2kHazelwoodYallourn: 1,480 MW1kYallournStanwell: 1,460 MW1kStanwell

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

Owner

Operated by Altona Energy [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 27.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~24°Ctypical annual mean
~34°Ctypical warm-season mean
Hot desert: hot summers and mild winters

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

How it compares & nearby plants

The #17 largest coal power plant of 38 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 38 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 32,918 MW of capacity.

Location

Coordinates -27.938926, 134.726094 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project?

Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project is a 840 MW coal power plant in South Australia, Australia.

Who operates Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project?

Arckaringa Coal-to-Liquids and Power Project is operated by Altona Energy [100%].

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