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Bayswater

Coal power plant in New South Wales, Australia. Approximate location -32.3953, 150.9491.

CoalNew South WalesAustraliasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Bayswater is a 2,665 MW coal power station in New South Wales, Australia. It is operated by Macquarie Generation. Based on reported annual generation of 15,546 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.4 million homes. It ranks #1 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 16,222,200 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 3.8 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

2,665Source-backed capacity
15,546GWh reported / yr
4,441,657homes powered
16,222,200t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000265.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBayswater WRI
CountryAustralia · New South Wales WRI
Coordinates-32.3953, 150.9491 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,665 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMacquarie Generation WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr15,546 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions16,222,200 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.81× · 700 MW median · 38 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,441,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.8°C · HDD 767 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 38/100 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/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 operating-unit sum (location L100000100004); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,665 MW, Bayswater is well above the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.

~16,222,200 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

3.8 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
2.1 millionhomes' yearly energy use
270 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 16,593 GWh20132014: 15,527 GWh20142015: 17,091 GWh20152016: 17,915 GWh20162017: 15,945 GWh20172018: 15,546 GWh201818k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Macquarie Generation.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.8°Cannual mean temp
767heating degree-days (base 18°C)
676cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
132 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 12 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 18 °CON: 20 °CND: 23 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 69% 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: 24/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
13.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
121 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 #1 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.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -32.3953, 150.9491 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bayswater?

Bayswater is a 2,665 MW source-record coal power plant in New South Wales, Australia, commissioned in 1985.

How much electricity does Bayswater generate?

Bayswater generates about 15,546 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Bayswater power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,441,657 homes.

Who operates Bayswater?

Bayswater is operated by Macquarie Generation.

How much CO₂ does Bayswater emit?

Bayswater has modelled emissions of about 16,222,200 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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