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Bowmore

Oil power plant in Scotland, United Kingdom. Approximate location 56.1833, -2.5667.

OilScotlandUnited Kingdom

Bowmore is a 6 MW oil power plant in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is operated by Scottish and Southern: Island Generation. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #1321 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 4.4% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

6Legacy source-record capacity
4,505homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR1000412.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBowmore WRI
CountryUnited Kingdom · Scotland WRI
Coordinates56.1833, -2.5667 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerScottish and Southern: Island Generation WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions11,826 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1321 of 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#13 of 14 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.13× · 45 MW median · 14 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,505 calculated
Climate8.1°C · HDD 3,589 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 28/100 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 6 MW, Bowmore is below the median oil plant in United Kingdom (45 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 United Kingdom

QTS Cambois Data Centre Campus: 1,392 MW1kQTS Camboi…Thurrock Data Centre: 258 MW258Thurrock D…Indian Queens: 140 MW140Indian Que…Sullom Voe Terminal power station: 100 MW100Sullom Voe…Lerwick: 73 MW73LerwickBurghfield: 50 MW50BurghfieldChickerell: 45 MW45ChickerellStornoway: 24 MW24Stornoway

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

Owner

Operated by Scottish and Southern: Island Generation.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 56.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.1°Cannual mean temp
3,589heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
32 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 9 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 46% above 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: 78/100 — this site sits in the top 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)
28/100environmental-severity index
11.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
23 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 #13 largest oil power plant of 14 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 14 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 2,134 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 56.1833, -2.5667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bowmore?

Bowmore is a 6 MW source-record oil power plant in Scotland, United Kingdom.

How many homes can Bowmore power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,505 homes (estimated).

Who operates Bowmore?

Bowmore is operated by Scottish and Southern: Island Generation.

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