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Sabiya

Gas power plant in Al Asimah, Kuwait. Approximate location 29.567, 48.171.

GasAl AsimahKuwaitCCGT · HRSGGE Power: 9FA, GE Power: 9FA, GE Power: D11

Sabiya is a 6,803 MW gas power station in Al Asimah, Kuwait. It is operated by Ministry of Electricity & Water, Kuwait. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 7.7 million homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 11 Kuwait power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 62.0% of Kuwait's electricity; the national grid averages 635 gCO₂/kWh (2.2% low-carbon) (2025).

6,803Source-backed capacity
5HRSG unit(s)
7,662,121homes powered (est.)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1008692.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySabiya WRI
CountryKuwait · Al Asimah WRI
Coordinates29.567, 48.171 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity6,803 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMinistry of Electricity & Water, Kuwait WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · GE Power: 9FA, GE Power: 9FA, GE Power: D11 · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions10,726,970 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#2 of 11 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 10 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.83× · 2,400 MW median · 10 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,662,121 calculated
Climate25.6°C · HDD 329 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 67/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 6,803 MW for Sabiya power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000405499); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 6,803 MW, Sabiya is well above the median gas plant in Kuwait (2,400 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG); GE Power: 9FA, GE Power: 9FA, GE Power: D11. 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Kuwait

Al-Nuwaiseeb power plant: 7,200 MW7kAl-Nuwaise…Sabiya: 6,803 MW7kSabiyaAz Zour South CCGT: 5,945 MW6kAz Zour So…ABC Transco- GE Vernova power station: 3,000 MW3kABC Transc…Doha West: 2,400 MW2kDoha WestAz Zour North: 1,100 MW1kAz Zour No…Doha East: 1,050 MW1kDoha EastShuiba North: 875 MW875Shuiba Nor…

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

Owner

Operated by Ministry of Electricity & Water, Kuwait.

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 29.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.6°Cannual mean temp
329heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,140cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 31 °CMJ: 35 °CJJ: 36 °CJA: 36 °CAS: 31 °CSO: 27 °CON: 21 °CND: 15 °CD36 °C

Heating degree-days here run 87% 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: 18/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~7% 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
67/100environmental-severity index
24.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
45 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 #2 largest gas power plant of 10 in Kuwait by capacity.

Kuwait has 10 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 29,345 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 29.567, 48.171 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sabiya?

Sabiya is a 6,803 MW source-record gas power plant in Al Asimah, Kuwait, commissioned in 1998.

How many homes can Sabiya power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,662,121 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sabiya?

Sabiya is operated by Ministry of Electricity & Water, Kuwait.

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