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Calabar

Gas power plant in Cross River, Nigeria. Approximate location 5.0702, 8.3394.

GasCross RiverNigeriaOCGT

Calabar is a 562 MW gas power station in Cross River, Nigeria. It is operated by Calabar Generation Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 634k homes (estimated). It ranks #28 of 69 Nigeria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 68.7% of Nigeria's electricity; the national grid averages 456 gCO₂/kWh (31.3% low-carbon) (2025).

562Source-backed capacity
633,535homes powered (est.)
2015commissioned (~11 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000025.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCalabar WRI
CountryNigeria · Cross River WRI
Coordinates5.0702, 8.3394 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity562 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalabar Generation Company WRI
Commissioned2015 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions886,950 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#28 of 69 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#20 of 48 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.12× · 501 MW median · 48 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent633,535 calculated
Climate26.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 562 MW, Calabar is well above the median gas plant in Nigeria (501 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 Nigeria

Egbin power station: 3,120 MW3kEgbin powe…Lekki Project power station: 1,500 MW2kLekki Proj…Okija power station: 1,500 MW2kOkija powe…Kano power station: 1,350 MW1kKano power…Abuja power station: 1,250 MW1kAbuja powe…Geregu II power station: 1,226 MW1kGeregu II …Kingline Ondo power station: 1,100 MW1kKingline O…Alaoji: 1,074 MW1kAlaoji

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

Owner

Operated by Calabar Generation Company.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 5.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,064cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
31 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 27 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 27 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 26 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD28 °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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~8% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
49/100environmental-severity index
2.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
37 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 #20 largest gas power plant of 48 in Nigeria by capacity.

Nigeria has 48 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 30,326 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 5.0702, 8.3394 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Calabar?

Calabar is a 562 MW source-record gas power plant in Cross River, Nigeria, commissioned in 2015.

How many homes can Calabar power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 633,535 homes (estimated).

Who operates Calabar?

Calabar is operated by Calabar Generation Company.

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