Argyle Diamond Mine is a 32 MW oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by Rio Tinto - Argyle Diamond Mines. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 24k homes (estimated). It ranks #301 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 29,677 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 6.9k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 2.2% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000220.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 32 MW, Argyle Diamond Mine is well above the median oil plant in Australia (8.6 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.
~29,677 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.
Key facts
- Share of Australia oil capacity
- 2.0% of 1,605 MW across 46 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 oil plants in Australia
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Rio Tinto - Argyle Diamond Mines.
Local climate & thermal context
This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 16.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
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
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.
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 #14 largest oil power plant of 46 in Australia by capacity.
Australia has 46 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,605 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Warmun · Oil · 1.3 MW · Western Australia
- Ord River · Hydro · 30 MW · Western Australia
- Savannah Nickel Mine · Oil · 10.8 MW · Western Australia
- Kununurra · Oil · 12.4 MW · Western Australia
- Halls Creek · Gas · 3.7 MW · Western Australia
Location
Coordinates -16.7162, 128.4031 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Argyle Diamond Mine?
Argyle Diamond Mine is a 32 MW oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia.
Who operates Argyle Diamond Mine?
Argyle Diamond Mine is operated by Rio Tinto - Argyle Diamond Mines.
How much CO₂ does Argyle Diamond Mine emit?
Argyle Diamond Mine has modelled emissions of about 29,677 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).