Which power plant emits the most CO₂ in the world?
Taean in South Korea is the world's highest-emitting power plant, at about 29 million tonnes of CO₂e per year. It is a coal-fired baseload station; its annual emissions exceed those of several entire countries. The next-largest emitters are Togtoh power station (~28 Mt) and Bełchatów (~26 Mt).
Top emitters (CO₂e per year, modelled)
Source: Climate TRACE v6 + WRI GPPD (CC BY 4.0). Modelled estimates.
Why one plant emits so much
The biggest emitters are large coal units running near-continuously. Emissions scale with how much coal is burned — capacity × capacity factor × hours — so a few giant baseload coal stations dominate the global ranking.
Explore the full data: Taean full profile → · dirtiest ranking
Frequently asked questions
What is the most polluting power station?
Taean (South Korea) at ~29 Mt CO₂e/yr.
Do any non-coal plants rank near the top?
Very few — the top of the list is almost entirely coal; only a handful of oil and gas units appear in the top 50.