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Hunter

Oil power plant in New South Wales, Australia. Approximate location -32.836, 151.4505.

OilNew South WalesAustralia

Hunter is a 29 MW oil power plant in New South Wales, Australia. It is operated by Infratil Energy Australia Pty Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 22k homes (estimated). It ranks #318 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 2.2% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

29Legacy source-record capacity
21,774homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000277.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHunter WRI
CountryAustralia · New South Wales WRI
Coordinates-32.836, 151.4505 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity29 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerInfratil Energy Australia Pty Ltd WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions57,159 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#318 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#16 of 46 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.37× · 9 MW median · 46 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent21,774 calculated
Climate17.6°C · HDD 687 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 42/100 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 29 MW, Hunter 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.

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 Infratil Energy Australia Pty Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.6°Cannual mean temp
687heating degree-days (base 18°C)
543cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
67 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 12 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 18 °CON: 20 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 72% 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: 23/100 — 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
11.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
40 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 #16 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 -32.836, 151.4505 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hunter?

Hunter is a 29 MW source-record oil power plant in New South Wales, Australia.

How many homes can Hunter power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 21,774 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hunter?

Hunter is operated by Infratil Energy Australia Pty Ltd.

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