Bisasar Road Landfill — South Africa

Bisasar Road Landfill is a 6.5 MW waste power plant in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is operated by Ethekwini Municipality. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.9k homes (estimated). It ranks #145 of 152 South Africa power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. In context, the national grid averages 699 gCO₂/kWh (17.8% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026015.

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 6.5 MW, Bisasar Road Landfill is well above the median waste plant in South Africa (4.2 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

Key facts

Share of South Africa waste capacity

15.3% of 43 MW across 6 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

1 of 4 dated waste plants in South Africa is older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest waste plants in South Africa

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

Owner

Operated by Ethekwini Municipality.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 29.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 98% 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: 14/100 — 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

This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #2 largest waste power plant of 6 in South Africa by capacity.

South Africa has 6 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 43 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Mariannhill Landfill · Waste · 2 MW · KwaZulu-Natal
• Maidstone power station · Biomass · 21.2 MW · KwaZulu-Natal
• Avon power station · Gas · 670 MW · KwaZulu-Natal
• Noodsberg power station · Biomass · 19 MW · KwaZulu-Natal
• Gledhow Cogeneration power station · Biomass · 14.3 MW · KwaZulu-Natal
• Darnall power station · Biomass · 13 MW · KwaZulu-Natal

Location

Coordinates -29.813, 30.9821 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions