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Lobito

Gas power plant in Benguela, Angola. Approximate location -12.37, 13.57.

GasBenguelaAngolaCCGT · HRSGPre Construction

Lobito is a 20 MW gas power plant in Benguela, Angola. It is operated by Public Electricity Production Co. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 23k homes (estimated). It ranks #10 of 17 Angola power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 9.0% of Angola's electricity; the national grid averages 185 gCO₂/kWh (73.7% low-carbon) (2024).

20Legacy source-record capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
22,525homes powered (est.)
2018Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023007.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLobito WRI
CountryAngola · Benguela WRI
Coordinates-12.37, 13.57 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity20 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPublic Electricity Production Co WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions31,536 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#10 of 17 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.15× · 132 MW median · 5 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,525 calculated
Climate24.3°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 58/100 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 20 MW, Lobito is below the median gas plant in Angola (132 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. 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 Angola

Soyo power station: 1,470 MW1kSoyo power…Fútila power station: 200 MW200Fútila pow…Cazenga: 132 MW132CazengaLobito: 20 MW20LobitoNamibe: 12 MW12Namibe

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

Owner

Operated by Public Electricity Production Co.

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 semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 12.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.3°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,305cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
134 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 24 °CON: 25 °CND: 25 °CD27 °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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~7% 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
58/100environmental-severity index
6.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 #4 largest gas power plant of 5 in Angola by capacity.

Angola has 5 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 1,834 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -12.37, 13.57 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lobito?

Lobito is a 20 MW source-record gas power plant in Benguela, Angola, planned/announced for 2018.

How many homes can Lobito power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,525 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lobito?

Lobito is operated by Public Electricity Production Co.

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