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SHAIBA

Oil power plant in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Approximate location 20.63, 39.552.

OilMakkahSaudi ArabiaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

SHAIBA is a 1,191 MW oil power station in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is operated by Shuaibah Water and Electricity Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 894k homes (estimated). It ranks #44 of 156 Saudi Arabia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 22,046,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 5.1 million cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 34.5% of Saudi Arabia's electricity; the national grid averages 692 gCO₂/kWh (2.2% low-carbon) (2024).

1,191Legacy source-record capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
894,045homes powered (est.)
22,046,000t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030704.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySHAIBA WRI
CountrySaudi Arabia · Makkah WRI
Coordinates20.63, 39.552 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity1,191 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerShuaibah Water and Electricity Company WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions22,046,000 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#44 of 156 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#15 of 76 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.27× · 365 MW median · 76 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent894,045 calculated
Climate29.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 62/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,191 MW, SHAIBA is well above the median oil plant in Saudi Arabia (365 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~22,046,000 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

5.1 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
2.9 millionhomes' yearly energy use
367 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Saudi Arabia

SHAIBA (SEC): 6,794 MW7kSHAIBA (SE…RABIGH: 4,480 MW4kRABIGHRiyadh 9: 3,760 MW4kRiyadh 9Riyadh 10: 3,161 MW3kRiyadh 10RABIGH-2: 2,800 MW3kRABIGH-2JEDDAH SOUTH: 2,640 MW3kJEDDAH SOU…Shuqaiq Steam Power Plant: 2,640 MW3kShuqaiq St…Jeddah PP3 power plant: 1,988 MW2kJeddah PP3…

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

Owner

Operated by Shuaibah Water and Electricity Company.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

29.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
4,318cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
6 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 29 °CAM: 32 °CMJ: 34 °CJJ: 35 °CJA: 34 °CAS: 33 °CSO: 31 °CON: 28 °CND: 26 °CD35 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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)
62/100environmental-severity index
10.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
34 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 #15 largest oil power plant of 76 in Saudi Arabia by capacity.

Saudi Arabia has 76 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 61,625 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.63, 39.552 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is SHAIBA?

SHAIBA is a 1,191 MW source-record oil power plant in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, commissioned in 2009.

How many homes can SHAIBA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 894,045 homes (estimated).

Who operates SHAIBA?

SHAIBA is operated by Shuaibah Water and Electricity Company.

How much CO₂ does SHAIBA emit?

SHAIBA has modelled emissions of about 22,046,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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