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DAMMAM

Gas power plant in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Approximate location 26.38, 50.093.

GasEastern ProvinceSaudi ArabiaOCGTCO₂ modelled

DAMMAM is a 398 MW gas power station in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It is operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 448k homes (estimated). It ranks #80 of 156 Saudi Arabia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 1,840,900 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 429k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 63.3% of Saudi Arabia's electricity; the national grid averages 692 gCO₂/kWh (2.2% low-carbon) (2024).

398Source-backed capacity
448,149homes powered (est.)
1,840,900t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2000commissioned (~26 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030650.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDAMMAM WRI
CountrySaudi Arabia · Eastern Province WRI
Coordinates26.38, 50.093 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity398 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSaudi Electricity Company (SEC) WRI
Commissioned2000 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions1,840,900 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#80 of 156 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#43 of 71 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.80× · 497 MW median · 71 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent448,149 calculated
Climate26.4°C · HDD 82 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 65/100 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.

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 L100000409084); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 398 MW, DAMMAM is below the median gas plant in Saudi Arabia (497 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

~1,840,900 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

429kpassenger cars driven for a year
240khomes' yearly energy use
31 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Saudi Arabia

Qurayyah Thermal power plant: 6,275 MW6kQurayyah T…GHAZLAN: 4,256 MW4kGHAZLANHajr for Electricity Production Co. Station: 4,098 MW4kHajr for E…QURAYYAH- CC: 4,098 MW4kQURAYYAH- …Jizan IGCC power plant: 3,850 MW4kJizan IGCC…Nairyah IPP Power Plant: 3,600 MW4kNairyah IP…Riyadh 16 power plant: 3,600 MW4kRiyadh 16 …Rumah IPP Power Plant: 3,600 MW4kRumah IPP …

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

Owner

Operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). All plants by this company →

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 hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 26.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.4°Cannual mean temp
82heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,161cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
12 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 31 °CMJ: 34 °CJJ: 35 °CJA: 35 °CAS: 32 °CSO: 28 °CON: 23 °CND: 18 °CD35 °C

Heating degree-days here run 97% 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: 15/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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)
65/100environmental-severity index
19.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
21 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 #43 largest gas power plant of 71 in Saudi Arabia by capacity.

Saudi Arabia has 71 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 89,013 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 26.38, 50.093 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is DAMMAM?

DAMMAM is a 398 MW source-record gas power plant in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, commissioned in 2000.

How many homes can DAMMAM power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 448,149 homes (estimated).

Who operates DAMMAM?

DAMMAM is operated by Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).

How much CO₂ does DAMMAM emit?

DAMMAM has modelled emissions of about 1,840,900 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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