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Somerton

Gas power plant in Victoria, Australia. Approximate location -37.6318, 144.9531.

GasVictoriaAustraliaCO₂ modelled

Somerton is a 160 MW gas power station in Victoria, Australia. It is operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 85 GWh, it can supply roughly 24k homes. It ranks #121 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 43,989 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 10k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.4% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

160Legacy source-record capacity
85GWh reported / yr
24,400homes powered
43,989t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000096.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySomerton WRI
CountryAustralia · Victoria WRI
Coordinates-37.6318, 144.9531 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity160 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAGL Energy Pty Ltd WRI
GWh reported / yr85 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions43,989 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#121 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#63 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.51× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent24,400 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.8°C · HDD 1,331 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 160 MW, Somerton is well above the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). 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.

~43,989 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

10kpassenger cars driven for a year
5.7khomes' yearly energy use
733ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 16 GWh20132014: 11 GWh20142015: 10 GWh20152016: 12 GWh20162017: 29 GWh20172018: 85 GWh201885 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd. 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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 37.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.8°Cannual mean temp
1,331heating degree-days (base 18°C)
168cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
74 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 21 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 9 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 14 °CON: 16 °CND: 18 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 46% 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: 31/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
11.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
65 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 #63 largest gas power plant of 163 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 163 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 29,942 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -37.6318, 144.9531 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Somerton?

Somerton is a 160 MW source-record gas power plant in Victoria, Australia.

How much electricity does Somerton generate?

Somerton generates about 85 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Somerton power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 24,400 homes.

Who operates Somerton?

Somerton is operated by AGL Energy Pty Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Somerton emit?

Somerton has modelled emissions of about 43,989 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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