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Glenbawn

Hydro power plant in New South Wales, Australia. Approximate location -32.1097, 150.9982.

HydroNew South WalesAustraliapumped storagePre Construction

Glenbawn is a 6 MW hydro power plant in New South Wales, Australia. It is operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 20 GWh, it can supply roughly 5.6k homes. It ranks #428 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 4.3% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

6Legacy source-record capacity
20GWh reported / yr
5,600homes powered

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000275.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGlenbawn WRI
CountryAustralia · New South Wales WRI
Coordinates-32.1097, 150.9982 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAGL Energy Pty Ltd WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI
GWh reported / yr20 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#428 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#61 of 73 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.13× · 45 MW median · 73 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent5,600 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.5°C · HDD 1,044 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 6 MW, Glenbawn is below the median hydro plant in Australia (45 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 2 GWh20132014: 6 GWh20142015: 12 GWh20152016: 9 GWh20162017: 4 GWh20172018: 20 GWh201820 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.5°Cannual mean temp
1,044heating degree-days (base 18°C)
480cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
371 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 11 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 11 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 17 °CON: 19 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 58% 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: 27/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
13.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
145 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 #61 largest hydro power plant of 73 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 73 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 8,878 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -32.1097, 150.9982 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Glenbawn?

Glenbawn is a 6 MW source-record hydro power plant in New South Wales, Australia.

How much electricity does Glenbawn generate?

Glenbawn generates about 20 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Glenbawn power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 5,600 homes.

Who operates Glenbawn?

Glenbawn is operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd.

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