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Plane Creek Sugar Mill

Biomass power plant in Queensland, Australia. Approximate location -21.4282, 149.2159.

BiomassQueenslandAustralia

Plane Creek Sugar Mill is a 14 MW biomass power plant in Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Sucrogen (Plane Creek Mill) Pty Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 19k homes (estimated). It ranks #369 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. In context, biomass supplies about 1.1% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

14Legacy source-record capacity
19,272homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000074.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPlane Creek Sugar Mill WRI
CountryAustralia · Queensland WRI
Coordinates-21.4282, 149.2159 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity14 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSucrogen (Plane Creek Mill) Pty Ltd WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#369 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#18 of 31 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.78× · 18 MW median · 31 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent19,272 calculated
Climate22.4°C · HDD 46 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 46/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 14 MW, Plane Creek Sugar Mill is below the median biomass plant in Australia (18 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Australia

Invicta Sugar Mill: 150 MW150Invicta Su…Pioneer Sugar Mill: 68 MW68Pioneer Su…Maryvale Mill: 54 MW54Maryvale M…Broadwater: 38 MW38BroadwaterCondong Sugar Mill: 30 MW30Condong Su…Rocky Point Sugar Sugar Mill: 30 MW30Rocky Poin…Rocky Point Cogeneration power station: 30 MW30Rocky Poin…Condong Cogeneration power station: 30 MW30Condong Co…

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

Owner

Operated by Sucrogen (Plane Creek Mill) Pty Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 21.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.4°Cannual mean temp
46heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,656cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
90 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 27 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 25 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 23 °CON: 25 °CND: 26 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 98% 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: 14/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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)
46/100environmental-severity index
9.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
36 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 #18 largest biomass power plant of 31 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 31 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 720 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -21.4282, 149.2159 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Plane Creek Sugar Mill?

Plane Creek Sugar Mill is a 14 MW source-record biomass power plant in Queensland, Australia.

How many homes can Plane Creek Sugar Mill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 19,272 homes (estimated).

Who operates Plane Creek Sugar Mill?

Plane Creek Sugar Mill is operated by Sucrogen (Plane Creek Mill) Pty Ltd.

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