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Buin Zahra power plant

Gas power plant in Qazvin, Iran. Approximate location 35.7654, 50.0529.

GasQazvinIranOCGT

Buin Zahra power plant is a 500 MW gas power station in Qazvin, Iran. It is operated by Thermal Power Plants Holding Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 563k homes (estimated). It ranks #90 of 177 Iran power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 89.5% of Iran's electricity; the national grid averages 660 gCO₂/kWh (5.7% low-carbon) (2025).

500MW installed capacity
563,142homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityBuin Zahra power plant GEM-GOGPT
CountryIran · Qazvin GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates35.7654, 50.0529 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity500 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000407809; operating plant capacity
OwnerThermal Power Plants Holding Co [100%] GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyOCGT GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions788,400 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#90 / 177 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#69 / 121 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.92× · 546 MW · n=121 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent563,142 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000407809; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 500 MW, Buin Zahra power plant is around the median gas plant in Iran (546 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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 Iran

Damavand C.C.: 2,868 MW3kDamavand C…Mobarakeh Steel power station: 2,732 MW3kMobarakeh …Shahid Rajaee: 2,044 MW2kShahid Raj…Kerman: 1,912 MW2kKermanChadormalu power station: 1,584 MW2kChadormalu…Parand power station: 1,578 MW2kParand pow…Golgohar Sirjan power station: 1,547 MW2kGolgohar S…PGSEZ power station: 1,500 MW2kPGSEZ powe…

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

Owner

Operated by Thermal Power Plants Holding Co [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Hot-summer mediterranean: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
26.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
126 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 #69 largest gas power plant of 121 in Iran by capacity.

Iran has 121 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 83,060 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.7654, 50.0529 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Buin Zahra power plant?

Buin Zahra power plant is a 500 MW gas power plant in Qazvin, Iran.

How many homes can Buin Zahra power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 563,142 homes (estimated).

Who operates Buin Zahra power plant?

Buin Zahra power plant is operated by Thermal Power Plants Holding Co [100%].

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