Home / Oceania / Australia / Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three)

Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three)

Gas power plant in Tasmania, Australia. Approximate location -41.1429, 146.903.

GasTasmaniaAustralia

Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) is a 115 MW gas power station in Tasmania, Australia. It is operated by Aurora Energy Tamar Valley Pty Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 130k homes (estimated). It ranks #165 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 16.4% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

115Legacy source-record capacity
129,522homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000139.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBell Bay (Bell Bay Three) WRI
CountryAustralia · Tasmania WRI
Coordinates-41.1429, 146.903 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity115 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAurora Energy Tamar Valley Pty Ltd WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions181,332 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#165 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#78 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.08× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent129,522 calculated
Climate12.6°C · HDD 1,978 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

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

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 115 MW, Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) is around the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Australia

Tomago Aluminium Smelter: 810 MW810Tomago Alu…Torrens Island B: 800 MW800Torrens Is…Marulan power station: 800 MW800Marulan po…Tallawarra: 796 MW796TallawarraKerrawary Power Station: 770 MW770Kerrawary …Callide Gas Peaker Power Plant: 750 MW750Callide Ga…Colongra: 724 MW724ColongraUranquinty: 664 MW664Uranquinty

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

Owner

Operated by Aurora Energy Tamar Valley Pty Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 41.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.6°Cannual mean temp
1,978heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
75 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 17 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 9 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 12 °CON: 14 °CND: 15 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 20% 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: 43/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
34/100environmental-severity index
9.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
17 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 #78 largest gas power plant of 163 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 163 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 29,942 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -41.1429, 146.903 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three)?

Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) is a 115 MW source-record gas power plant in Tasmania, Australia.

How many homes can Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 129,522 homes (estimated).

Who operates Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three)?

Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) is operated by Aurora Energy Tamar Valley Pty Ltd.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.