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Sour

Oil power plant in Liban-Sud, Lebanon. Approximate location 33.2761, 35.2289.

OilLiban-SudLebanonSteam

Sour is a 35 MW oil power plant in Liban-Sud, Lebanon. It is operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 26k homes (estimated). It ranks #10 of 10 Lebanon power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. In context, oil supplies about 56.2% of Lebanon's electricity; the national grid averages 390 gCO₂/kWh (43.8% low-carbon) (2024).

35MW installed capacity
26,280homes powered (est.)
1996commissioned (~30 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023667.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySour WRI
CountryLebanon · Liban-Sud WRI
Coordinates33.2761, 35.2289 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity35 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerElectricity Of Lebanon [100%] WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions68,985 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#10 / 10 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 / 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.50× · 70 MW · n=7 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent26,280 calculated
Climate19.1°C · HDD 669 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 51/100 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 GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 35 MW, Sour is below the median oil plant in Lebanon (70 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Lebanon

Zouk 1: 643 MW643Zouk 1Jieh 1: 348 MW348Jieh 1Hraishe Power plant: 125 MW125Hraishe Po…Hreishi: 70 MW70HreishiZahle Power Plant: 60 MW60Zahle Powe…Baalback: 35 MW35BaalbackSour: 35 MW35Sour

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

Owner

Operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.1°Cannual mean temp
669heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,102cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
160 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 22 °CON: 17 °CND: 13 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 73% 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: 23/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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

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)
51/100environmental-severity index
14.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
3 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 #7 largest oil power plant of 7 in Lebanon by capacity.

Lebanon has 7 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,315 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.2761, 35.2289 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sour?

Sour is a 35 MW oil power plant in Liban-Sud, Lebanon, commissioned in 1996.

How many homes can Sour power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 26,280 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sour?

Sour is operated by Electricity Of Lebanon [100%].

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