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Ako

Oil power plant in Hyogo, Japan. Approximate location 34.7413, 134.3786.

OilHyogoJapanSteam

Ako is a 1,200 MW oil power station in Hyogo, Japan. It is operated by Kansai. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 901k homes (estimated). It ranks #73 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1987, it is around 39 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).

1,200Source-backed capacity
901,028homes powered (est.)
1987commissioned (~39 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000656.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAko WRI
CountryJapan · Hyogo WRI
Coordinates34.7413, 134.3786 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity1,200 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKansai WRI
Commissioned1987 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,365,200 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#73 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#13 of 41 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.20× · 1,000 MW median · 41 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent901,028 calculated
Climate14.7°C · HDD 1,889 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,200 MW, Ako 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 Kansai. 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 34.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.7°Cannual mean temp
1,889heating degree-days (base 18°C)
708cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
112 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 17 °CON: 12 °CND: 7 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 41/100 — 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)
40/100environmental-severity index
22.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
80 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 #13 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 34.7413, 134.3786 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ako?

Ako is a 1,200 MW source-record oil power plant in Hyogo, Japan, commissioned in 1987.

How many homes can Ako power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 901,028 homes (estimated).

Who operates Ako?

Ako is operated by Kansai.

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