Swanbank-A power station is a 396 MW coal power station in Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Stanwell Corp Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 496k homes (estimated). It ranks #63 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 42.7% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_swanbanka_austr.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 396 MW, Swanbank-A power station is below the median coal plant in Australia (700 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Australia coal capacity
- 1.2% of 32,918 MW across 38 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 28 dated coal plants in Australia are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Australia
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Stanwell Corp Ltd [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 27.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 83% 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: 19/100 — 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
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
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 #29 largest coal power plant of 38 in Australia by capacity.
Australia has 38 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 32,918 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Swanbank E · Gas · 385 MW · Queensland
- Whitwood Road · Waste · 1 MW · Queensland
- Ti Tree Bioenergy · Waste · 3.3 MW · Queensland
- Browns Plains · Waste · 2.2 MW · Queensland
- University of Queensland (St Lucia Campus) Solar Array · Solar · 1.2 MW · Queensland
- Rochedale · Waste · 4 MW · Queensland
Location
Coordinates -27.660536, 152.812899 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Swanbank-A power station?
Swanbank-A power station is a 396 MW coal power plant in Queensland, Australia, commissioned in 1966.
Who operates Swanbank-A power station?
Swanbank-A power station is operated by Stanwell Corp Ltd [100%].