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Callide A

Coal power plant in Queensland, Australia. Approximate location -24.347222, 150.617115.

CoalQueenslandAustraliasubcritical

Callide A is a 30 MW coal power plant in Queensland, Australia. It is operated by CS Energy. Based on reported annual generation of 101 GWh, it can supply roughly 29k homes. It ranks #306 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

30Source-backed capacity
101GWh reported / yr
28,800homes powered
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000178.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCallide A WRI
CountryAustralia · Queensland WRI
Coordinates-24.347222, 150.617115 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCS Energy WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr101 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions100,800 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#306 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#38 of 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.04× · 700 MW median · 38 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent28,800 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.5°C · HDD 311 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,620 MW for Callide power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000100013); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 30 MW, Callide A is below the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 117 GWh20132014: 114 GWh20142015: 101 GWh2015117 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by CS Energy. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 24.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.5°Cannual mean temp
311heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,202cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
348 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 15 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 21 °CON: 23 °CND: 25 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 87% 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: 18/100 — 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
11.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
90 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 #38 largest coal power plant of 38 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 38 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 32,918 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -24.347222, 150.617115 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Callide A?

Callide A is a 30 MW source-record coal power plant in Queensland, Australia, commissioned in 2012.

How much electricity does Callide A generate?

Callide A generates about 101 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Callide A power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 28,800 homes.

Who operates Callide A?

Callide A is operated by CS Energy.

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