Chichiri (Blantyre) is a 15.5 MW gas power plant in Southern Region, Malawi. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 17k homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 10 Malawi power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 0.0% of Malawi's electricity; the national grid averages 55 gCO₂/kWh (95.6% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023101.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
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.
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 humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 15.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 94% 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: 16/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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
Malawi has 1 gas power plant in this dataset, together about 16 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Nchalo Mill · Biomass · 10 MW · Southern Region
- Kapichira · Hydro · 130 MW · Southern Region
- Nkula · Hydro · 124 MW · Southern Region
- Tedzani Falls · Hydro · 121 MW · Southern Region
- Neno power station · Coal · 2,400 MW · Thyolo
- Liwonde power station · Coal · 350 MW · Machinga
Location
Coordinates -15.7833, 35.0 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Chichiri (Blantyre)?
Chichiri (Blantyre) is a 15.5 MW gas power plant in Southern Region, Malawi.