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Channel Island

Gas power plant in Northern Territory, Australia. Approximate location -12.555, 130.8666.

GasNorthern TerritoryAustraliaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Channel Island is a 301 MW gas power station in Northern Territory, Australia. It is operated by NT Government. Based on reported annual generation of 1,063 GWh, it can supply roughly 304k homes. It ranks #77 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1987, it is around 39 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 489,080 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 114k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.4% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

301Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,063GWh reported / yr
303,657homes powered
489,080t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1987commissioned (~39 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000261.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChannel Island WRI
CountryAustralia · Northern Territory WRI
Coordinates-12.555, 130.8666 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity301 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNT Government WRI
Commissioned1987 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,063 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions489,080 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#77 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#36 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.84× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent303,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate27.1°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 50/100 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 221 MW for Channel Island 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: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 301 MW, Channel Island is well above the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

~489,080 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

114kpassenger cars driven for a year
64khomes' yearly energy use
8.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,041 GWh20132014: 1,068 GWh20142015: 978 GWh20152016: 1,068 GWh20162017: 1,040 GWh20172018: 1,063 GWh20181k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NT Government.

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 savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 12.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.1°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,315cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
11 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 28 °CJF: 28 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 29 °CON: 29 °CND: 28 °CD29 °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)
50/100environmental-severity index
5.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
26 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 #36 largest gas power plant of 163 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 163 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 29,942 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -12.555, 130.8666 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Channel Island?

Channel Island is a 301 MW source-record gas power plant in Northern Territory, Australia, commissioned in 1987.

How much electricity does Channel Island generate?

Channel Island generates about 1,063 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Channel Island power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 303,657 homes.

Who operates Channel Island?

Channel Island is operated by NT Government.

How much CO₂ does Channel Island emit?

Channel Island has modelled emissions of about 489,080 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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