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Collie (Bluewaters)

Coal power plant in Western Australia, Australia. Approximate location -33.331, 116.229.

CoalWestern AustraliaAustraliasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Collie (Bluewaters) is a 416 MW coal power station in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by Griffin Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 521k homes (estimated). It ranks #59 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 2,094,500 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 488k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

416Legacy source-record capacity
520,594homes powered (est.)
2,094,500t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000184.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCollie (Bluewaters) WRI
CountryAustralia · Western Australia WRI
Coordinates-33.331, 116.229 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity416 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGriffin Energy WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions2,094,500 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#59 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#26 of 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.59× · 700 MW median · 38 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent520,594 calculated
Climate15.8°C · HDD 1,142 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 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 466 MW for Bluewaters 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: C_REVIEW_MANUAL - recommended action: manual_review_only - confidence: unknown. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 416 MW, Collie (Bluewaters) 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.

~2,094,500 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

488kpassenger cars driven for a year
273khomes' yearly energy use
35 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Australia

Bayswater: 2,665 MW3kBayswaterLoy Yang A: 2,215 MW2kLoy Yang ALiddell: 2,051 MW2kLiddellKurri Kurri power station: 2,000 MW2kKurri Kurr…Gladstone: 1,680 MW2kGladstoneHazelwood: 1,600 MW2kHazelwoodYallourn: 1,480 MW1kYallournStanwell: 1,460 MW1kStanwell

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

Owner

Operated by Griffin Energy.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 33.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.8°Cannual mean temp
1,142heating degree-days (base 18°C)
342cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
232 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 11 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 14 °CON: 17 °CND: 20 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 54% 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: 28/100 — 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 marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
11.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
45 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 #26 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 -33.331, 116.229 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Collie (Bluewaters)?

Collie (Bluewaters) is a 416 MW source-record coal power plant in Western Australia, Australia, commissioned in 2009.

How many homes can Collie (Bluewaters) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 520,594 homes (estimated).

Who operates Collie (Bluewaters)?

Collie (Bluewaters) is operated by Griffin Energy.

How much CO₂ does Collie (Bluewaters) emit?

Collie (Bluewaters) has modelled emissions of about 2,094,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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