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Limbe

Oil power plant in South-West Province, Cameroon. Approximate location 4.0167, 9.2.

OilSouth-West ProvinceCameroonCCGT · HRSGPre Construction

Limbe is a 11 MW oil power plant in South-West Province, Cameroon. It is operated by Ministry of Water and Energy (Cameroon) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #12 of 12 Cameroon power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 4.8% of Cameroon's electricity; the national grid averages 226 gCO₂/kWh (73.1% low-carbon) (2024).

11Legacy source-record capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
7,959homes powered (est.)
2029Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023035.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLimbe WRI
CountryCameroon · South-West Province WRI
Coordinates4.0167, 9.2 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity11 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMinistry of Water and Energy (Cameroon) [100%] WRI
Commissioned2029 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions20,893 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#12 of 12 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 6 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.66× · 16 MW median · 6 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,959 calculated
Climate25.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 11 MW, Limbe is below the median oil plant in Cameroon (16 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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 Cameroon

Dibabmba power station: 88 MW88Dibabmba p…Ahala power station: 60 MW60Ahala powe…Garoua: 16 MW16GarouaDouala Bassa: 14 MW14Douala Bas…Bafoussam: 11 MW11BafoussamLimbe: 11 MW11Limbe

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

Owner

Operated by Ministry of Water and Energy (Cameroon) [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 4.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,702cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
67 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 25 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD26 °C

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.

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)
48/100environmental-severity index
2.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
30 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 #6 largest oil power plant of 6 in Cameroon by capacity.

Cameroon has 6 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 199 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 4.0167, 9.2 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Limbe?

Limbe is a 11 MW source-record oil power plant in South-West Province, Cameroon, planned/announced for 2029.

How many homes can Limbe power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,959 homes (estimated).

Who operates Limbe?

Limbe is operated by Ministry of Water and Energy (Cameroon) [100%].

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