Home / Asia / Iraq / Sarqala power plant

Sarqala power plant

Gas power plant in Kurdistan, Iraq. Approximate location 36.4103, 44.3872.

GasKurdistanIraqEngine

Sarqala power plant is a 162 MW gas power station in Kurdistan, Iraq. It is operated by Ministry of Electricity (Kurdistan) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 182k homes (estimated). It ranks #75 of 91 Iraq power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2022, it is around 4 years old — recently built. In context, gas supplies about 53.0% of Iraq's electricity; the national grid averages 683 gCO₂/kWh (1.6% low-carbon) (2024).

162MW installed capacity
182,458homes powered (est.)
2022commissioned (~4 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilitySarqala power plant GEM-GOGPT
CountryIraq · Kurdistan GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates36.4103, 44.3872 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity162 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000407768; operating plant capacity
OwnerMinistry of Electricity (Kurdistan) [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2022 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyEngine GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions255,442 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#75 / 91 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#51 / 55 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.22× · 740 MW · n=55 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent182,458 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 41/100 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 · 2026 · L100000407768; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 162 MW, Sarqala power plant is below the median gas plant in Iraq (740 MW). Technically it is described as Engine. 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 Iraq

Al-Khairat power station: 5,835 MW6kAl-Khairat…Al Faw IPP power station: 4,950 MW5kAl Faw IPP…Besmaya power station: 4,800 MW5kBesmaya po…Abu Ghraib power station: 3,000 MW3kAbu Ghraib…New Dhi Qar power station: 3,000 MW3kNew Dhi Qa…New Rumaila power station: 2,670 MW3kNew Rumail…Wasset power station: 2,540 MW3kWasset pow…Al Amarh power plant: 2,150 MW2kAl Amarh p…

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

Owner

Operated by Ministry of Electricity (Kurdistan) [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Hot-summer mediterranean: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
27.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
436 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 #51 largest gas power plant of 55 in Iraq by capacity.

Iraq has 55 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 61,570 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.4103, 44.3872 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sarqala power plant?

Sarqala power plant is a 162 MW gas power plant in Kurdistan, Iraq, commissioned in 2022.

How many homes can Sarqala power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 182,458 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sarqala power plant?

Sarqala power plant is operated by Ministry of Electricity (Kurdistan) [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.