Home / Oceania / Australia / Tamar Valley

Tamar Valley

Gas power plant in Tasmania, Australia. Approximate location -41.1401, 146.9036.

GasTasmaniaAustraliaCCGT · HRSGMitsubishi Power: M701DACO₂ modelled

Tamar Valley is a 390 MW gas power station in Tasmania, Australia. It is operated by Aurora Energy (Tamar Valley). Based on reported annual generation of 846 GWh, it can supply roughly 242k homes. It ranks #64 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 258,650 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 60k 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).

390Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
846GWh reported / yr
241,857homes powered
258,650t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000138.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTamar Valley WRI
CountryAustralia · Tasmania WRI
Coordinates-41.1401, 146.9036 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity390 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAurora Energy (Tamar Valley) WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · Mitsubishi Power: M701DA · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr846 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions258,650 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#64 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#25 of 163 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.68× · 106 MW median · 163 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent241,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.6°C · HDD 1,978 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 34/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 268 MW for Tamar Valley power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 tracker 2026 (location L100000405137); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 390 MW, Tamar Valley is well above the median gas plant in Australia (106 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG); Mitsubishi Power: M701DA. 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.

~258,650 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

60kpassenger cars driven for a year
34khomes' yearly energy use
4.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,686 GWh20132014: 872 GWh20142015: 18 GWh20152016: 781 GWh20162017: 794 GWh20172018: 846 GWh20182k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Aurora Energy (Tamar Valley).

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 41.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.6°Cannual mean temp
1,978heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
75 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 17 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 9 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 12 °CON: 14 °CND: 15 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 20% 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: 43/100 — this site sits in the mid 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)
34/100environmental-severity index
9.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
17 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 #25 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 -41.1401, 146.9036 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tamar Valley?

Tamar Valley is a 390 MW source-record gas power plant in Tasmania, Australia, commissioned in 2009.

How much electricity does Tamar Valley generate?

Tamar Valley generates about 846 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Tamar Valley power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 241,857 homes.

Who operates Tamar Valley?

Tamar Valley is operated by Aurora Energy (Tamar Valley).

How much CO₂ does Tamar Valley emit?

Tamar Valley has modelled emissions of about 258,650 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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