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Bisasar Road Landfill

Waste power plant in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Approximate location -29.813, 30.9821.

WasteKwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa

Bisasar Road Landfill is a 6 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).

6Legacy source-record capacity
8,947homes powered (est.)
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityBisasar Road Landfill WRI
CountrySouth Africa · KwaZulu-Natal WRI
Coordinates-29.813, 30.9821 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEthekwini Municipality WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#145 of 152 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 6 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.55× · 4 MW median · 6 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,947 calculated
Climate20.8°C · HDD 61 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 44/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 6 MW, Bisasar Road Landfill is well above the median waste plant in South Africa (4 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.

Capacity vs largest waste plants in South Africa

Hernic Waste Heat Plant: 26 MW26Hernic Was…Bisasar Road Landfill: 6 MW6Bisasar Ro…PetroSA Biogas Plant: 4 MW4PetroSA Bi…Dundee Biogas: 2 MW2Dundee Bio…Ferro Waste Heat Plant: 2 MW2Ferro Wast…Mariannhill Landfill: 2 MW2Mariannhil…

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.

20.8°Cannual mean temp
61heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,059cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
24 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 23 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 20 °CON: 22 °CND: 23 °CD24 °C

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

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)
44/100environmental-severity index
7.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
26 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 #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

Location

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bisasar Road Landfill?

Bisasar Road Landfill is a 6 MW source-record waste power plant in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, commissioned in 2008.

How many homes can Bisasar Road Landfill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,947 homes (estimated).

Who operates Bisasar Road Landfill?

Bisasar Road Landfill is operated by Ethekwini Municipality.

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