Playford power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in South Australia, Australia. It is operated by Alinta Energy Pty Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 113k homes (estimated). It ranks #194 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1963, it is around 63 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-6197.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: Climate TRACE
In context: how this plant compares
At 90 MW, Playford power station is below the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Australia coal capacity
- 0.3% of 32,918 MW across 38 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 28 dated coal plants in Australia is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Australia
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Alinta Energy Pty Ltd. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 70% 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: 24/100 — 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
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #37 largest coal power plant of 38 in Australia by capacity.
Australia has 38 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 32,918 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Northern Augusta power station · Coal · 520 MW · South Australia
- Bungala I · Solar · 110 MW · South Australia
- Bungala II · Solar · 110 MW · South Australia
- Lincoln Gap · Wind · 10 MW · South Australia
- Whyalla SSE · Solar · 6 MW · South Australia
- Clements Gap Wind Farm · Wind · 57 MW · South Australia
Location
Coordinates -32.5385, 137.7822 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Playford power station?
Playford power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in South Australia, Australia, commissioned in 1963.
Who operates Playford power station?
Playford power station is operated by Alinta Energy Pty Ltd.