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Baalback

Oil power plant in Baalbek-Hermel, Lebanon. Approximate location 34.0209, 36.1919.

OilBaalbek-HermelLebanonSteam

Baalback is a 35 MW oil power plant in Baalbek-Hermel, Lebanon. It is operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 26k homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 10 Lebanon power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. In context, oil supplies about 56.2% of Lebanon's electricity; the national grid averages 390 gCO₂/kWh (43.8% low-carbon) (2024).

35Legacy source-record capacity
26,280homes powered (est.)
1996commissioned (~30 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023666.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBaalback WRI
CountryLebanon · Baalbek-Hermel WRI
Coordinates34.0209, 36.1919 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity35 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerElectricity Of Lebanon [100%] WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions68,985 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#9 of 10 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.50× · 70 MW median · 7 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent26,280 calculated
Climate10.9°C · HDD 2,693 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 37/100 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.

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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 35 MW, Baalback is below the median oil plant in Lebanon (70 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Lebanon

Zouk 1: 643 MW643Zouk 1Jieh 1: 348 MW348Jieh 1Hraishe Power plant: 125 MW125Hraishe Po…Hreishi: 70 MW70HreishiZahle Power Plant: 60 MW60Zahle Powe…Baalback: 35 MW35BaalbackSour: 35 MW35Sour

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

Owner

Operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.9°Cannual mean temp
2,693heating degree-days (base 18°C)
118cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,788 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 10% above 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: 54/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
18.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
48 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 #6 largest oil power plant of 7 in Lebanon by capacity.

Lebanon has 7 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,315 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.0209, 36.1919 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Baalback?

Baalback is a 35 MW source-record oil power plant in Baalbek-Hermel, Lebanon, commissioned in 1996.

How many homes can Baalback power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 26,280 homes (estimated).

Who operates Baalback?

Baalback is operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%].

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