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Pine Creek

Gas power plant in Northern Territory, Australia. Approximate location -13.7856, 131.8624.

GasNorthern TerritoryAustraliaCO₂ modelled

Pine Creek is a 35 MW gas power plant in Northern Territory, Australia. It is operated by NGD (NT) / Cosmo Power. Based on reported annual generation of 165 GWh, it can supply roughly 47k homes. It ranks #293 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 23,497 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 5.5k 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).

35Legacy source-record capacity
165GWh reported / yr
47,171homes powered
23,497t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000258.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPine Creek WRI
CountryAustralia · Northern Territory WRI
Coordinates-13.7856, 131.8624 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity35 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNGD (NT) / Cosmo Power WRI
GWh reported / yr165 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions23,497 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#293 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#117 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.33× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent47,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate27.3°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 35 MW, Pine Creek is below the median gas plant in Australia (106 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.

~23,497 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

5.5kpassenger cars driven for a year
3.1khomes' yearly energy use
392ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 159 GWh20132014: 173 GWh20142015: 181 GWh20152016: 191 GWh20162017: 181 GWh20172018: 165 GWh2018191 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by NGD (NT) / Cosmo Power.

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 13.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.3°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,374cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
163 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 28 °CJF: 28 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 30 °CON: 30 °CND: 29 °CD30 °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 ~9% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
7.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
184 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 #117 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 -13.7856, 131.8624 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pine Creek?

Pine Creek is a 35 MW source-record gas power plant in Northern Territory, Australia.

How much electricity does Pine Creek generate?

Pine Creek generates about 165 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Pine Creek power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 47,171 homes.

Who operates Pine Creek?

Pine Creek is operated by NGD (NT) / Cosmo Power.

How much CO₂ does Pine Creek emit?

Pine Creek has modelled emissions of about 23,497 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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