Karbala Gas power plant — Iraq

Karbala Gas power plant is a 382 MW gas power station in Kerbala, Iraq. It is operated by Ministry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 430k homes (estimated). It ranks #52 of 91 Iraq power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 53.0% of Iraq's electricity; the national grid averages 683 gCO₂/kWh (1.6% low-carbon) (2024).

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

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 250 MW for Karbala Gas power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 382 MW, Karbala Gas power plant is below the median gas plant in Iraq (740 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Iraq

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

Owner

Operated by Ministry of Electricity (Iraq) [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 32.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

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 #37 largest gas power plant of 55 in Iraq by capacity.

Iraq has 55 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 61,570 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Karbala Oil Refinery power plant · Oil · 200 MW · Karbala
• Al-Khairat power station · Gas · 5,835 MW · Kerbala
• Hillah 2 power station · Gas · 375 MW · Babylon (Babil)
• East Karbla Diesel power station · Oil · 300 MW · Karbala
• Haydariya power station · Gas · 912 MW · Najaf
• Hillah power station · Gas · 144.9 MW · Babylon

Location

Coordinates 32.437631, 44.126918 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions