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Nickel West gas-fired power station

Gas power plant in Western Australia, Australia. Approximate location -27.2797, 120.5019.

GasWestern AustraliaAustraliaEngineCO₂ modelled

Nickel West gas-fired power station is a 150 MW gas power station in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by TransAlta Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 169k homes (estimated). It ranks #132 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 216,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 50k 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).

150Source-backed capacity
168,942homes powered (est.)
216,400t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-6114.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNickel West gas-fired power station Climate TRACE
CountryAustralia · Western Australia Climate TRACE
Coordinates-27.2797, 120.5019 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity150 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTransAlta Corp Climate TRACE
TechnologyEngine Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions216,400 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#132 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#68 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.42× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent168,942 calculated
Climate21.1°C · HDD 552 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 42/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 (location L100001016693); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 150 MW, Nickel West gas-fired power station is well above the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Technically it is described as Engine. 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.

~216,400 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

50kpassenger cars driven for a year
28khomes' yearly energy use
3.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Australia

Tomago Aluminium Smelter: 810 MW810Tomago Alu…Torrens Island B: 800 MW800Torrens Is…Marulan power station: 800 MW800Marulan po…Tallawarra: 796 MW796TallawarraKerrawary Power Station: 770 MW770Kerrawary …Callide Gas Peaker Power Plant: 750 MW750Callide Ga…Colongra: 724 MW724ColongraUranquinty: 664 MW664Uranquinty

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

Owner

Operated by TransAlta Corp. 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 hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 27.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.1°Cannual mean temp
552heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,652cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
535 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 30 °CJF: 29 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 12 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 21 °CON: 25 °CND: 28 °CD30 °C

Heating degree-days here run 78% 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: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~4% 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)
42/100environmental-severity index
18.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
581 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 #68 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 -27.2797, 120.5019 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nickel West gas-fired power station?

Nickel West gas-fired power station is a 150 MW source-record gas power plant in Western Australia, Australia.

How many homes can Nickel West gas-fired power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 168,942 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nickel West gas-fired power station?

Nickel West gas-fired power station is operated by TransAlta Corp.

How much CO₂ does Nickel West gas-fired power station emit?

Nickel West gas-fired power station has modelled emissions of about 216,400 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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