Tolkuma — Papua New Guinea
Oil power plant in Northern Province, Papua New Guinea. Approximate location -8.5659, 147.1383.
OilNorthern ProvincePapua New Guinea
Tolkuma is a 3.5 MW oil power plant in Northern Province, Papua New Guinea. It is operated by Petromin Mining. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 15 Papua New Guinea power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 57.1% of Papua New Guinea's electricity; the national grid averages 514 gCO₂/kWh (23.7% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023819.
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: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 3.5 MW, Tolkuma is below the median oil plant in Papua New Guinea (16 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.
Key facts
- Share of Papua New Guinea oil capacity
- 2.0% of 174 MW across 7 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest oil plants in Papua New Guinea
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Petromin Mining.
Local climate & thermal context
This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 8.6°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 82% 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: 20/100 — 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness 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 #7 largest oil power plant of 7 in Papua New Guinea by capacity.
Papua New Guinea has 7 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 174 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Kanudi · Oil · 58 MW · National Capital
- Sirinumu Dam · Hydro · 1.5 MW · National Capital
Location
Coordinates -8.5659, 147.1383 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Tolkuma?
Tolkuma is a 3.5 MW oil power plant in Northern Province, Papua New Guinea.
Who operates Tolkuma?
Tolkuma is operated by Petromin Mining.