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BAKRESWAR — India

Coal power plant in West Bengal, India. Approximate location 23.8285, 87.4513.

CoalWest BengalIndiasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

BAKRESWAR is a 1,050 MW coal power station in West Bengal, India. It is operated by The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 6,527 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.9 million homes. It ranks #370 of 2,225 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 8,007,500 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 1.9 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 70.8% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,050MW installed capacity
6,527GWh reported / yr
1,864,742homes powered
8,007,500t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000023.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBAKRESWAR WRI
CountryIndia · West Bengal WRI
Coordinates23.8285, 87.4513 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,050 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000102661; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerThe West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr6,527 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions8,007,500 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#370 / 2225 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#343 / 713 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.05× · 1,000 MW · n=713 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,864,742 calculated from reported generation
Climate26.2°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000102661; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,050 MW, BAKRESWAR is around the median coal plant in India (1,000 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~8,007,500 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

44krailcars of coal burned
1.9 milliongasoline cars driven for a year
2.4kwind turbines running for a year
0.88%of the CO₂ from all India power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Load factor
71%, from 6,527 GWh of reported generation; the median for 167 coal plants in India that report generation is 54%
Generation trend
7,235 GWh in 2014 and 6,527 GWh in 2018 (−10%)
Highest and lowest year
2014: 7,235 GWh; 2015: 5,979 GWh
Share of India coal capacity
0.1% of 805,419 MW across 713 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
101 of 354 dated coal plants in India are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2014: 7,235 GWh20142015: 5,979 GWh20152016: 6,341 GWh20162017: 6,779 GWh20172018: 6,527 GWh20187k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 23.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.2°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,985cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
53 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 19 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 30 °CAM: 31 °CMJ: 30 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 29 °CSO: 27 °CON: 23 °CND: 19 °CD31 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
12.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
233 kmdistance to coast

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 #343 largest coal power plant of 713 in India by capacity.

India has 713 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 805,419 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 23.8285, 87.4513 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is BAKRESWAR?

BAKRESWAR is a 1,050 MW coal power plant in West Bengal, India, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does BAKRESWAR generate?

BAKRESWAR generates about 6,527 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates BAKRESWAR?

BAKRESWAR is operated by The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd.

How much CO₂ does BAKRESWAR emit?

BAKRESWAR has modelled emissions of about 8,007,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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