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Medicine Hat power station

Gas power plant in Alberta, Canada. Approximate location 50.089484, -110.736143.

GasAlbertaCanadaOCGT

Medicine Hat power station is a 55 MW gas power plant in Alberta, Canada. It is operated by City of Medicine Hat [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 62k homes (estimated). It ranks #401 of 1,211 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 17.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

55MW installed capacity
61,945homes powered (est.)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityMedicine Hat power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryCanada · Alberta GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates50.089484, -110.736143 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity55 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000405237; operating plant capacity
OwnerCity of Medicine Hat [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2003 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyOCGT GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions86,724 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#401 / 1211 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#108 / 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.32× · 170 MW · n=112 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent61,945 calculated
Climate5.2°C · HDD 4,720 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 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 · 2026 · L100000405237; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 55 MW, Medicine Hat power station is below the median gas plant in Canada (170 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 Canada

Alberta Sundance power station: 2,121 MW2kAlberta Su…Lennox: 2,100 MW2kLennoxGreenlight Electricity Centre: 1,864 MW2kGreenlight…Beacon AI Centers Indus Project: 1,504 MW2kBeacon AI …Genesee Data Centre Project power station: 1,500 MW2kGenesee Da…Wonder Valley power station: 1,200 MW1kWonder Val…Greenfield Energy Centre: 1,038 MW1kGreenfield…Burrard: 950 MW950Burrard

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

Owner

Operated by City of Medicine Hat [100%].

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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

5.2°Cannual mean temp
4,720heating degree-days (base 18°C)
69cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
711 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -7 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 7 °CON: -3 °CND: -9 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 92% above 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: 92/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
30.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
1210 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 #108 largest gas power plant of 112 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 112 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,176 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.089484, -110.736143 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Medicine Hat power station?

Medicine Hat power station is a 55 MW gas power plant in Alberta, Canada, commissioned in 2003.

How many homes can Medicine Hat power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 61,945 homes (estimated).

Who operates Medicine Hat power station?

Medicine Hat power station is operated by City of Medicine Hat [100%].

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