KALBA — United Arab Emirates

KALBA is a 109 MW gas power station in Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 123k homes (estimated). It ranks #53 of 60 United Arab Emirates power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 304,950 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 71k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 68.3% of United Arab Emirates's electricity; the national grid averages 468 gCO₂/kWh (31.7% low-carbon) (2024).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-6531.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: Climate TRACE; fuel: GEM wiki operating-unit Fuel(s), dominant by operating MW >=80%, fetched 2026-07-05

In context: how this plant compares

At 109 MW, KALBA is below the median gas plant in United Arab Emirates (969 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.

~304,950 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

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

Key facts

Share of United Arab Emirates gas capacity

0.2% of 57,345 MW across 44 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest gas plants in United Arab Emirates

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

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 25.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

A gas turbine here also runs ~9% 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

This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

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 #42 largest gas power plant of 44 in United Arab Emirates by capacity.

United Arab Emirates has 44 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 57,345 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Fujairah F3 Integrated Water and power plant · Gas · 2,400 MW · Emirate of Fujairah
• FAPCO (Fuj F2) · Gas · 2,166 MW · Emirate of Fujairah
• ESWPC (Fuj F1) · Gas · 893 MW · Emirate of Fujairah
• Khorfakkan Station (KHPS) · Gas · 144 MW · Emirate of Sharjah
• Sohar · Gas · 597 MW · Al Batinah
• Sohar Alumnium · Gas · 1,000 MW · Al Batinah

Location

Coordinates 25.0557, 56.3499 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions