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Nyakato

Gas power plant in Mwanza, Tanzania. Approximate location -2.524, 32.9662.

GasMwanzaTanzania

Nyakato is a 63 MW gas power plant in Mwanza, Tanzania. It is operated by Tanzania Electric Supply Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 71k homes (estimated). It ranks #23 of 29 Tanzania power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 62.8% of Tanzania's electricity; the national grid averages 345 gCO₂/kWh (32.9% low-carbon) (2024).

63Legacy source-record capacity
70,956homes powered (est.)
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1019875.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNyakato WRI
CountryTanzania · Mwanza WRI
Coordinates-2.524, 32.9662 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity63 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTanzania Electric Supply Company WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions99,338 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#23 of 29 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#9 of 11 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.26× · 240 MW median · 11 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent70,956 calculated
Climate22.6°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot 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 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 63 MW, Nyakato is below the median gas plant in Tanzania (240 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Tanzania

Kinyerezi III power station: 600 MW600Kinyerezi …Astra Energy Tanzania power station: 350 MW350Astra Ener…Kinyerezi IV power station: 330 MW330Kinyerezi …Kilwa power station: 318 MW318Kilwa powe…Somanga power station: 250 MW250Somanga po…Kinyerezi II power station: 240 MW240Kinyerezi …Ubungo Gas (Songas): 208 MW208Ubungo Gas…Zinga power station: 200 MW200Zinga powe…

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

Owner

Operated by Tanzania Electric Supply Company. 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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 2.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.6°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,690cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,213 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 23 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 24 °CON: 23 °CND: 22 °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 ~5% 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)
39/100environmental-severity index
1.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
85 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 #9 largest gas power plant of 11 in Tanzania by capacity.

Tanzania has 11 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 2,622 MW of capacity.

Location

Coordinates -2.524, 32.9662 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nyakato?

Nyakato is a 63 MW source-record gas power plant in Mwanza, Tanzania, commissioned in 2012.

How many homes can Nyakato power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 70,956 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nyakato?

Nyakato is operated by Tanzania Electric Supply Company.

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