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Baoshan Works power station

Coal power plant in Shanghai Shi, China. Approximate location 31.4424, 121.4361.

CoalShanghai ShiChinasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Baoshan Works power station is a 1,700 MW coal power station in Shanghai Shi, China. It is operated by Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.1 million homes (estimated). It ranks #470 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 4,867,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 1.1 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 54.3% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,700Source-backed capacity
2,127,428homes powered (est.)
4,867,400t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1986commissioned (~40 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070020.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBaoshan Works power station WRI
CountryChina · Shanghai Shi WRI
Coordinates31.4424, 121.4361 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,700 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBaoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd WRI
Commissioned1986 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions4,867,400 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#470 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#341 of 1907 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.43× · 700 MW median · 1907 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,127,428 calculated
Climate16.1°C · HDD 1,662 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 48/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000101443); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,700 MW, Baoshan Works power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 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.

~4,867,400 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.1 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
635khomes' yearly energy use
81 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest coal plants in China

East Hope Metals Wucaiwan power station: 7,000 MW7kEast Hope …Datang Tuoketuo power station: 6,720 MW7kDatang Tuo…Togtoh power station: 6,720 MW7kTogtoh pow…Ying Long Shan power station: 6,300 MW6kYing Long …Jiaxing power station: 6,030 MW6kJiaxing po…Guazhou Changle power station: 6,000 MW6kGuazhou Ch…Guodian Yulin Jingbian power station: 6,000 MW6kGuodian Yu…Guoxin Dafeng power station: 6,000 MW6kGuoxin Daf…

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

Owner

Operated by Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.1°Cannual mean temp
1,662heating degree-days (base 18°C)
985cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
4 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 13 °CND: 7 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% 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: 37/100 — 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)
48/100environmental-severity index
23.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
36 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 #341 largest coal power plant of 1907 in China by capacity.

China has 1907 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 1,882,493 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.4424, 121.4361 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Baoshan Works power station?

Baoshan Works power station is a 1,700 MW source-record coal power plant in Shanghai Shi, China, commissioned in 1986.

How many homes can Baoshan Works power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,127,428 homes (estimated).

Who operates Baoshan Works power station?

Baoshan Works power station is operated by Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Baoshan Works power station emit?

Baoshan Works power station has modelled emissions of about 4,867,400 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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