Peterhead — United Kingdom
Gas power plant in Scotland, United Kingdom. Approximate location 57.4772, -1.7889.
GasScotlandUnited KingdomCCGT · HRSGMitsubishi Power: M701JAC
Peterhead is a 1,180 MW gas power station in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is operated by SSE Thermal Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #42 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1980, it is around 46 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 31.1% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR2000723.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,840 MW for Peterhead power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000400773; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,180 MW, Peterhead is well above the median gas plant in United Kingdom (115 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG); Mitsubishi Power: M701JAC. 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.
Key facts
- Share of United Kingdom gas capacity
- 2.3% of 52,329 MW across 130 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 5 of 97 dated gas plants in United Kingdom are older
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 United Kingdom
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by SSE Thermal Ltd [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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 57.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 56% above 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: 82/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #15 largest gas power plant of 130 in United Kingdom by capacity.
United Kingdom has 130 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 52,329 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Hywind 2 · Storage · 1 MW · Scotland
- Stoneyhill Landfill Site · Waste · 4.3 MW · Scotland
- Yonderton Farm · Wind · 1 MW · Scotland
- St Fergus Moss Wind Farm · Wind · 6 MW · Scotland
- Land at Overside and Greenwellheads Farms · Wind · 9.2 MW · Scotland
- West Knock Wind Cluster · Wind · 2.4 MW · Scotland
Location
Coordinates 57.4772, -1.7889 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Peterhead?
Peterhead is a 1,180 MW gas power plant in Scotland, United Kingdom, commissioned in 1980.
Who operates Peterhead?
Peterhead is operated by SSE Thermal Ltd [100%].