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Akita

Oil power plant in Akita, Japan. Approximate location 39.7839, 140.0487.

OilAkitaJapanSteam

Akita is a 1,300 MW oil power station in Akita, Japan. It is operated by Tohoku. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 976k homes (estimated). It ranks #63 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1980, it is around 46 years old — long-established. In context, oil supplies about 2.5% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,300Legacy source-record capacity
976,114homes powered (est.)
1980commissioned (~46 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000619.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAkita WRI
CountryJapan · Akita WRI
Coordinates39.7839, 140.0487 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity1,300 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTohoku WRI
Commissioned1980 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,562,300 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#63 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#11 of 41 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.30× · 1,000 MW median · 41 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent976,114 calculated
Climate11.2°C · HDD 2,861 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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.

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 1,300 MW, Akita is well above the median oil plant in Japan (1,000 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Japan

Hirono: 4,400 MW4kHironoKashima: 4,400 MW4kKashimaChita: 3,966 MW4kChitaAnegasaki: 3,150 MW3kAnegasakiYokohama: 3,016 MW3kYokohamaYokosuka: 2,274 MW2kYokosukaKainan: 2,100 MW2kKainanAtsumi: 1,900 MW2kAtsumi

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Tohoku. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.2°Cannual mean temp
2,861heating degree-days (base 18°C)
414cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
31 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 16% above 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: 59/100 — 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

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)
42/100environmental-severity index
24.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
25 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 #11 largest oil power plant of 41 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 41 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 48,987 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.7839, 140.0487 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Akita?

Akita is a 1,300 MW source-record oil power plant in Akita, Japan, commissioned in 1980.

How many homes can Akita power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 976,114 homes (estimated).

Who operates Akita?

Akita is operated by Tohoku.

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