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Nouadhibou

Gas power plant in Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Mauritania. Approximate location 20.8954, -17.0572.

GasDakhlet NouadhibouMauritaniaEngine

Nouadhibou is a 120 MW gas power station in Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Mauritania. It is operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 135k homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 8 Mauritania power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 0.0% of Mauritania's electricity; the national grid averages 512 gCO₂/kWh (22.7% low-carbon) (2024).

120Source-backed capacity
135,154homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023107.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNouadhibou WRI
CountryMauritania · Dakhlet Nouadhibou WRI
Coordinates20.8954, -17.0572 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity120 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMauritanian Electricity Co [100%] WRI
TechnologyEngine WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions189,216 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1 of 8 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent135,154 calculated
Climate21.0°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 54/100 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 L100000408665); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

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.

Owner

Operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [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 hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.0°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,104cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
6 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 18 °CJF: 19 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 23 °CON: 21 °CND: 19 °CD24 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
54/100environmental-severity index
5.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
25 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

Mauritania has 1 gas power plant in this dataset, together about 120 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.8954, -17.0572 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nouadhibou?

Nouadhibou is a 120 MW source-record gas power plant in Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Mauritania.

How many homes can Nouadhibou power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 135,154 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nouadhibou?

Nouadhibou is operated by Mauritanian Electricity Co [100%].

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