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Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine

Oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia. Approximate location -22.399, 119.732.

OilWestern AustraliaAustraliaCO₂ modelled

Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine is a 58 MW oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by Contract Power Holdings. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 44k homes (estimated). It ranks #246 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 27,699 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 6.5k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 2.2% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

58Legacy source-record capacity
43,549homes powered (est.)
27,699t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000221.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChristmas Creek Iron Ore Mine WRI
CountryAustralia · Western Australia WRI
Coordinates-22.399, 119.732 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity58 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerContract Power Holdings WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions27,699 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#246 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#9 of 46 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.74× · 9 MW median · 46 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent43,549 calculated
Climate25.4°C · HDD 60 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 44/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 58 MW, Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine is well above the median oil plant in Australia (9 MW). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

~27,699 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

6.5kpassenger cars driven for a year
3.6khomes' yearly energy use
462ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Australia

Mount Stuart: 423 MW423Mount Stua…Solomon Hub mine power station: 136 MW136Solomon Hu…GOVE PENINSULA: 120 MW120GOVE PENIN…HEZ Energy Peaking Power Plant: 120 MW120HEZ Energy…SA GAS TURBINES: 120 MW120SA GAS TUR…Port Lincoln: 74 MW74Port Linco…Port Stanvac: 65 MW65Port Stanv…West Kalgoorlie: 60 MW60West Kalgo…

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

Owner

Operated by Contract Power Holdings.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 22.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.4°Cannual mean temp
60heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,760cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
435 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 33 °CJF: 31 °CFM: 30 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 27 °CON: 30 °CND: 32 °CD33 °C

Heating degree-days here run 98% 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: 14/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
16.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
259 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 #9 largest oil power plant of 46 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 46 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,605 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -22.399, 119.732 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine?

Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine is a 58 MW source-record oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia.

How many homes can Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 43,549 homes (estimated).

Who operates Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine?

Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine is operated by Contract Power Holdings.

How much CO₂ does Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine emit?

Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine has modelled emissions of about 27,699 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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