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Timber Creek

Oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia. Approximate location -15.6562, 130.479.

OilWestern AustraliaAustralia

Timber Creek is a 1 MW oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia. It is operated by NT Government. Based on reported annual generation of 3 GWh, it can supply roughly 857 homes. It ranks #531 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 2.2% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

1Legacy source-record capacity
3GWh reported / yr
857homes powered

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000486.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTimber Creek WRI
CountryAustralia · Western Australia WRI
Coordinates-15.6562, 130.479 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity1 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNT Government WRI
GWh reported / yr3 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,250 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#531 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#44 of 46 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.12× · 9 MW median · 46 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent857 calculated from reported generation
Climate27.5°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 42/100 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 1 MW, Timber Creek is below the median oil plant in Australia (9 MW). 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.

Reported generation trend

2016: 3 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 3 GWh20183 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NT Government.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 15.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.5°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,460cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
128 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 30 °CJF: 29 °CFM: 29 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 31 °CON: 31 °CND: 31 °CD31 °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 a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
9.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
204 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 #44 largest oil power plant of 46 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 46 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,605 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -15.6562, 130.479 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Timber Creek?

Timber Creek is a 1 MW source-record oil power plant in Western Australia, Australia.

How much electricity does Timber Creek generate?

Timber Creek generates about 3 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Timber Creek power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 857 homes.

Who operates Timber Creek?

Timber Creek is operated by NT Government.

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