Karpowership Saldanha power station — South Africa
Gas power plant in Western Cape, South Africa. Approximate location -33.005977, 17.980431.
GasWestern CapeSouth Africa
Karpowership Saldanha power station is a 320 MW gas power station in Western Cape, South Africa. It is operated by Karpowership South Africa [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 360k homes (estimated). It ranks #51 of 152 South Africa power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 0.0% of South Africa's electricity; the national grid averages 699 gCO₂/kWh (17.8% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_karpowershipsaldanha_southa.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 320 MW, Karpowership Saldanha power station is below the median gas plant in South Africa (670 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.
Key facts
- Share of South Africa gas capacity
- 1.7% of 19,062 MW across 15 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 South Africa
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Karpowership South Africa [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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 33.0°S — 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
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with dust abrasion 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 #13 largest gas power plant of 15 in South Africa by capacity.
South Africa has 15 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 19,062 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- West Coast 1 · Wind · 94 MW · Western Cape
- Hopefield · Wind · 66.6 MW · Western Cape
- Darling Wind Farm · Wind · 5.2 MW · Western Cape
- SlimSun Swartland Solar Park · Solar · 5 MW · Western Cape
- Aurora Solar Power Plant · Solar · 10.3 MW · Western Cape
- Swartland Solar Power Plant · Solar · 13.6 MW · Western Cape
Location
Coordinates -33.005977, 17.980431 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Karpowership Saldanha power station?
Karpowership Saldanha power station is a 320 MW gas power plant in Western Cape, South Africa.
Who operates Karpowership Saldanha power station?
Karpowership Saldanha power station is operated by Karpowership South Africa [100%].