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Huntly (CC)

Gas power plant in Waikato, New Zealand. Approximate location -37.5444, 175.15.

GasWaikatoNew Zealand

Huntly (CC) is a 403 MW gas power station in Waikato, New Zealand. It is operated by Genesis Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 454k homes (estimated). It ranks #8 of 50 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 8.9% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).

403Legacy source-record capacity
453,893homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000305.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHuntly (CC) WRI
CountryNew Zealand · Waikato WRI
Coordinates-37.5444, 175.15 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity403 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGenesis Energy WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions635,450 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#8 of 50 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 10 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.60× · 112 MW median · 10 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent453,893 calculated
Climate14.1°C · HDD 1,494 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 454 MW for Huntly 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: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. 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 403 MW, Huntly (CC) is well above the median gas plant in New Zealand (112 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in New Zealand

Stratford power station: 587 MW587Stratford …Huntly power station: 454 MW454Huntly pow…Huntly (CC): 403 MW403Huntly (CC)Waikato power station: 360 MW360Waikato po…Glenbrook power station: 112 MW112Glenbrook …Junction Road power station: 100 MW100Junction R…McKee power station: 100 MW100McKee powe…Whareroa power station: 70 MW70Whareroa p…

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

Owner

Operated by Genesis Energy.

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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 37.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.1°Cannual mean temp
1,494heating degree-days (base 18°C)
44cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
35 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 19 °CJF: 19 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 9 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 13 °CON: 15 °CND: 17 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 39% 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: 34/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
9.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
42 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 #3 largest gas power plant of 10 in New Zealand by capacity.

New Zealand has 10 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 2,290 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -37.5444, 175.15 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Huntly (CC)?

Huntly (CC) is a 403 MW source-record gas power plant in Waikato, New Zealand, commissioned in 2007.

How many homes can Huntly (CC) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 453,893 homes (estimated).

Who operates Huntly (CC)?

Huntly (CC) is operated by Genesis Energy.

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