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Riyadh City-13 power station

Gas power plant in Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia. Approximate location 24.785, 45.6215.

GasAr RiyadSaudi ArabiaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Riyadh City-13 power station is a 1,800 MW gas power station in Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia. It is operated by Saudi Electricity Co. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #29 of 156 Saudi Arabia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 4,236,600 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 988k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 63.3% of Saudi Arabia's electricity; the national grid averages 692 gCO₂/kWh (2.2% low-carbon) (2024).

1,800Source-backed capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
2,027,314homes powered (est.)
4,236,600t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-6425.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRiyadh City-13 power station Climate TRACE
CountrySaudi Arabia · Ar Riyad Climate TRACE
Coordinates24.785, 45.6215 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity1,800 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSaudi Electricity Co Climate TRACE
Commissioned2020 Climate TRACE
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions4,236,600 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#29 of 156 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#20 of 71 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.62× · 497 MW median · 71 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,027,314 calculated
Climate26.0°C · HDD 229 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 48/100 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 (location L100000401078); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,800 MW, Riyadh City-13 power station is well above the median gas plant in Saudi Arabia (497 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.

~4,236,600 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

988kpassenger cars driven for a year
553khomes' yearly energy use
71 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Saudi Arabia

Qurayyah Thermal power plant: 6,275 MW6kQurayyah T…GHAZLAN: 4,256 MW4kGHAZLANHajr for Electricity Production Co. Station: 4,098 MW4kHajr for E…QURAYYAH- CC: 4,098 MW4kQURAYYAH- …Jizan IGCC power plant: 3,850 MW4kJizan IGCC…Nairyah IPP Power Plant: 3,600 MW4kNairyah IP…Riyadh 16 power plant: 3,600 MW4kRiyadh 16 …Rumah IPP Power Plant: 3,600 MW4kRumah IPP …

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

Owner

Operated by Saudi Electricity Co. 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 desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 24.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.0°Cannual mean temp
229heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,156cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
683 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 32 °CMJ: 34 °CJJ: 36 °CJA: 36 °CAS: 33 °CSO: 28 °CON: 21 °CND: 16 °CD36 °C

Heating degree-days here run 91% 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: 17/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~8% 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
21.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
453 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 #20 largest gas power plant of 71 in Saudi Arabia by capacity.

Saudi Arabia has 71 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 89,013 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 24.785, 45.6215 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Riyadh City-13 power station?

Riyadh City-13 power station is a 1,800 MW source-record gas power plant in Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can Riyadh City-13 power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,027,314 homes (estimated).

Who operates Riyadh City-13 power station?

Riyadh City-13 power station is operated by Saudi Electricity Co.

How much CO₂ does Riyadh City-13 power station emit?

Riyadh City-13 power station has modelled emissions of about 4,236,600 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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