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Moranbah

Gas power plant in Queensland, Australia. Approximate location -21.9851, 148.0246.

GasQueenslandAustraliaOCGTPre ConstructionCO₂ modelled

Moranbah is a 13 MW gas power plant in Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Energy Developments Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 55 GWh, it can supply roughly 16k homes. It ranks #377 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 202,570 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 47k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.4% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

13Source-backed capacity
55GWh reported / yr
15,685homes powered
202,570t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2027Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000164.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMoranbah WRI
CountryAustralia · Queensland WRI
Coordinates-21.9851, 148.0246 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity13 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnergy Developments Ltd WRI
Commissioned2027 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr55 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions202,570 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#377 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#142 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.12× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent15,685 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.9°C · HDD 92 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 63 MW for Moranbah North power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 (location L100000408143); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 13 MW, Moranbah is below the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

~202,570 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

47kpassenger cars driven for a year
26khomes' yearly energy use
3.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 68 GWh20132014: 67 GWh20142015: 23 GWh20152016: 36 GWh20162017: 84 GWh20172018: 55 GWh201884 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Energy Developments Ltd. All plants by this company →

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 22.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.9°Cannual mean temp
92heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,870cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
239 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 28 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 24 °CON: 26 °CND: 28 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 96% 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: 15/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~6% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
43/100environmental-severity index
11.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
129 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 #142 largest gas power plant of 163 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 163 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 29,942 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -21.9851, 148.0246 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Moranbah?

Moranbah is a 13 MW source-record gas power plant in Queensland, Australia, planned/announced for 2027.

How much electricity does Moranbah generate?

Moranbah generates about 55 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Moranbah power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 15,685 homes.

Who operates Moranbah?

Moranbah is operated by Energy Developments Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Moranbah emit?

Moranbah has modelled emissions of about 202,570 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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