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Butoni

Wind power plant in Western, Fiji. Approximate location -18.1129, 177.5057.

WindWesternFijiOnshore

Butoni is a 10 MW wind power plant in Western, Fiji. It is operated by Fiji Electricity Authority. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #5 of 12 Fiji power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 0.0% of Fiji's electricity; the national grid averages 278 gCO₂/kWh (63.5% low-carbon) (2024).

10Source-backed capacity
8,594homes powered (est.)
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061467.

Data status

Known data

FacilityButoni WRI
CountryFiji · Western WRI
Coordinates-18.1129, 177.5057 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity10 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFiji Electricity Authority WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5 of 12 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,594 calculated
Climate24.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 47/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 tracker 2026 (location L100000906043); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Owner

Operated by Fiji Electricity Authority.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 18.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,470cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
80 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 24 °CON: 25 °CND: 26 °CD27 °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)
47/100environmental-severity index
4.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
30 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

Fiji has 1 wind power plant in this dataset, together about 10 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -18.1129, 177.5057 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Butoni?

Butoni is a 10 MW source-record wind power plant in Western, Fiji, commissioned in 2008.

How many homes can Butoni power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,594 homes (estimated).

Who operates Butoni?

Butoni is operated by Fiji Electricity Authority.

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