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Biopio

Oil power plant in Benguela, Angola. Approximate location -12.4706, 13.7319.

OilBenguelaAngola

Biopio is a 23 MW oil power plant in Benguela, Angola. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 17k homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 17 Angola power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 17.3% of Angola's electricity; the national grid averages 185 gCO₂/kWh (73.7% low-carbon) (2024).

23Legacy source-record capacity
17,119homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023002.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBiopio WRI
CountryAngola · Benguela WRI
Coordinates-12.4706, 13.7319 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity23 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions44,939 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#9 of 17 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.23× · 18 MW median · 7 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent17,119 calculated
Climate22.7°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 56/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
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 23 MW, Biopio is well above the median oil plant in Angola (18 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.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Angola

Central Caminho de Ferro de Luanda (CFL) power station: 125 MW125Central Ca…Luanda Diesel: 58 MW58Luanda Die…Biopio: 23 MW23BiopioLuanda Refinery: 18 MW18Luanda Ref…Huambo: 16 MW16HuamboXitoto: 11 MW11XitotoMalongo: 10 MW10Malongo

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

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 12.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.7°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,729cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
531 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 25 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 23 °CON: 24 °CND: 23 °CD25 °C

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

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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
56/100environmental-severity index
5.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 #3 largest oil power plant of 7 in Angola by capacity.

Angola has 7 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 262 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -12.4706, 13.7319 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Biopio?

Biopio is a 23 MW source-record oil power plant in Benguela, Angola.

How many homes can Biopio power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 17,119 homes (estimated).

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