Home / Oceania / Australia / Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery

Gas power plant in Western Australia, Australia. Approximate location -32.6473, 115.9469.

GasWestern AustraliaAustraliaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery is a 285 MW gas power station in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by Alinta Energy. Based on reported annual generation of 2,156 GWh, it can supply roughly 616k homes. It ranks #82 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2006, it is around 20 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 293,690 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 68k 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).

285Source-backed capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
2,156GWh reported / yr
615,885homes powered
293,690t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2006commissioned (~20 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000201.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery WRI
CountryAustralia · Western Australia WRI
Coordinates-32.6473, 115.9469 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity285 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAlinta Energy WRI
Commissioned2006 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,156 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions293,690 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#82 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#40 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.69× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent615,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.0°C · HDD 1,117 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 operating-unit sum (location L100000407352); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 285 MW, Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery is well above the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

~293,690 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

68kpassenger cars driven for a year
38khomes' yearly energy use
4.9 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,355 GWh20132014: 1,277 GWh20142015: 1,639 GWh20152016: 2,057 GWh20162017: 2,272 GWh20172018: 2,156 GWh20182k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Alinta Energy. 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 hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.0°Cannual mean temp
1,117heating degree-days (base 18°C)
363cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
267 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 11 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 14 °CON: 17 °CND: 20 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 55% 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: 27/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% 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 marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
11.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
26 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 #40 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 -32.6473, 115.9469 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery?

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery is a 285 MW source-record gas power plant in Western Australia, Australia, commissioned in 2006.

How much electricity does Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery generate?

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery generates about 2,156 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 615,885 homes.

Who operates Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery?

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery is operated by Alinta Energy.

How much CO₂ does Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery emit?

Pinjarra Bauxite Mine and Alumina Refinery has modelled emissions of about 293,690 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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