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Munmorah

Coal power plant in New South Wales, Australia. Approximate location -33.2117, 151.5418.

CoalNew South WalesAustraliasubcritical

Munmorah is a 600 MW coal power station in New South Wales, Australia. It is operated by Delta Electricity. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #33 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

600Legacy source-record capacity
750,857homes powered (est.)
1969commissioned (~57 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000282.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMunmorah WRI
CountryAustralia · New South Wales WRI
Coordinates-33.2117, 151.5418 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity600 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDelta Electricity WRI
Commissioned1969 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,628,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#33 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#20 of 38 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.86× · 700 MW median · 38 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent750,857 calculated
Climate17.9°C · HDD 607 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 42/100 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 600 MW, Munmorah is below 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Australia

Bayswater: 2,665 MW3kBayswaterLoy Yang A: 2,215 MW2kLoy Yang ALiddell: 2,051 MW2kLiddellKurri Kurri power station: 2,000 MW2kKurri Kurr…Gladstone: 1,680 MW2kGladstoneHazelwood: 1,600 MW2kHazelwoodYallourn: 1,480 MW1kYallournStanwell: 1,460 MW1kStanwell

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

Owner

Operated by Delta Electricity. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 33.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.9°Cannual mean temp
607heating degree-days (base 18°C)
544cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
20 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 12 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 18 °CON: 19 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% 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: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
10.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
40 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 #20 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 -33.2117, 151.5418 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Munmorah?

Munmorah is a 600 MW source-record coal power plant in New South Wales, Australia, commissioned in 1969.

How many homes can Munmorah power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 750,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Munmorah?

Munmorah is operated by Delta Electricity.

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