Ross Island — Antarctica
Wind power plant in Antarctica, Antarctica. Approximate location -77.8428, 166.7271.
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Ross Island is a 1 MW wind power plant in Antarctica, Antarctica. It is operated by Meridian Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 850 homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 2 Antarctica power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation.
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022458.
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
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Owner
Operated by Meridian Energy. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a polar ice cap climate (Köppen EF) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 77.8°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 436% above 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: 100/100 — this site sits in the top 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 marine corrosion 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
Antarctica has 1 wind power plant in this dataset, together about 1 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- McMurdo Station Generator · Oil · 6.6 MW · Antarctica
Location
Coordinates -77.8428, 166.7271 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Ross Island?
Ross Island is a 1 MW wind power plant in Antarctica, Antarctica.
Who operates Ross Island?
Ross Island is operated by Meridian Energy.