Baishan is a 1,800 MW hydro power station in Jilin Sheng, China. It is operated by State Grid Xinyuan Hydropower Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.8 million homes (estimated). It ranks #443 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 13.2% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000481.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,800 MW for Baishan hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000600600; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,800 MW, Baishan is well above the median hydro plant in China (24 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of China hydro capacity
- 0.7% of 262,337 MW across 947 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 55 of 381 dated hydro plants in China are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by State Grid Xinyuan Hydropower Co Ltd [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a monsoon warm-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 111% 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: 95/100 — this site sits in the top 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with thermal cycling 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 #29 largest hydro power plant of 947 in China by capacity.
China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Jingyu Chisong nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 5,000 MW · Jilin
- Hongshi · Hydro · 200 MW · Jilin Sheng
- Shilong · Hydro · 70 MW · Jilin Sheng
- Jilin Huadian power station · Biomass · 60 MW · Jilin Sheng
- Shuanghe Second Small · Hydro · 12 MW · Jilin Sheng
- Liangjiang · Hydro · 20 MW · Jilin Sheng
Location
Coordinates 42.73, 127.22 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Baishan?
Baishan is a 1,800 MW hydro power plant in Jilin Sheng, China, commissioned in 1994.
Who operates Baishan?
Baishan is operated by State Grid Xinyuan Hydropower Co Ltd [100%].