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Loy Yang A

Coal power plant in Victoria, Australia. Approximate location -38.2536, 146.5746.

CoalVictoriaAustraliasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Loy Yang A is a 2,215 MW coal power station in Victoria, Australia. It is operated by GEAC Great Energy Alliance Corporation. Based on reported annual generation of 16,952 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.8 million homes. It ranks #2 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 14,224,300 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 3.3 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

2,215Source-backed capacity
16,952GWh reported / yr
4,843,400homes powered
14,224,300t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000092.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLoy Yang A WRI
CountryAustralia · Victoria WRI
Coordinates-38.2536, 146.5746 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,215 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGEAC Great Energy Alliance Corporation WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr16,952 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions14,224,300 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.16× · 700 MW median · 38 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,843,400 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.0°C · HDD 2,194 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 29/100 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/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000100035); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,215 MW, Loy Yang A is well above the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~14,224,300 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

3.3 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
1.9 millionhomes' yearly energy use
237 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 16,269 GWh20132014: 16,099 GWh20142015: 16,226 GWh20152016: 15,716 GWh20162017: 15,885 GWh20172018: 16,952 GWh201817k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by GEAC Great Energy Alliance Corporation.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 38.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.0°Cannual mean temp
2,194heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
394 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 17 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 8 °CJJ: 7 °CJA: 8 °CAS: 9 °CSO: 11 °CON: 13 °CND: 15 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 11% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 46/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
29/100environmental-severity index
10.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
62 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 #2 largest coal power plant of 38 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 38 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 32,918 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -38.2536, 146.5746 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Loy Yang A?

Loy Yang A is a 2,215 MW source-record coal power plant in Victoria, Australia, commissioned in 1984.

How much electricity does Loy Yang A generate?

Loy Yang A generates about 16,952 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Loy Yang A power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,843,400 homes.

Who operates Loy Yang A?

Loy Yang A is operated by GEAC Great Energy Alliance Corporation.

How much CO₂ does Loy Yang A emit?

Loy Yang A has modelled emissions of about 14,224,300 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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