Whirinaki — New Zealand
Oil power plant in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Approximate location -39.3829, 176.8875.
OilHawke's BayNew Zealand
Whirinaki is a 155 MW oil power station in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It is operated by Contact Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 116k homes (estimated). It ranks #14 of 50 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. In context, oil supplies about 1.5% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000337.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
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.
Owner
Operated by Contact Energy.
Local climate & thermal context
This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 39.4°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 36% 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: 35/100 — this site sits in the mid 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
New Zealand has 1 oil power plant in this dataset, together about 155 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Piripaua · Hydro · 42 MW · Hawke's Bay
- Tuai · Hydro · 60 MW · Hawke's Bay
- Te Huka Binary · Geothermal · 28 MW · Waikato
- Rotokawa · Geothermal · 35 MW · Waikato
- Nga Awa Purua · Geothermal · 140 MW · Waikato
- Aratiatia · Hydro · 78 MW · Waikato
Location
Coordinates -39.3829, 176.8875 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Whirinaki?
Whirinaki is a 155 MW oil power plant in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, commissioned in 2011.
Who operates Whirinaki?
Whirinaki is operated by Contact Energy.