Home / Oceania / Australia / Nickel West gas-fired power station

Nickel West gas-fired power station — Australia

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).

150MW installed 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 GEM · 2026 · L100001016693; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerTransAlta Corp Climate TRACE
TechnologyEngine Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions216,400 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#132 / 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#68 / 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.42× · 106 MW · n=163 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

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100001016693; fuel: Climate TRACE

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:

3.9kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
45khomes' electricity use for a year
216kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.20%of the CO₂ from all Australia power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Key facts

Share of Australia gas capacity
0.5% of 29,942 MW across 163 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

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).

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

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

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 gas power plant in Western Australia, Australia.

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).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.