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BARAUNI

Coal power plant in Bihar, India. Approximate location 25.3999, 86.0218.

CoalBiharIndiasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

BARAUNI is a 720 MW coal power station in Bihar, India. It is operated by Bihar State Power Holding Co Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 40 GWh, it can supply roughly 11k homes. It ranks #445 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 3,515,500 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 819k 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).

720Source-backed capacity
40GWh reported / yr
11,485homes powered
3,515,500t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000035.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBARAUNI WRI
CountryIndia · Bihar WRI
Coordinates25.3999, 86.0218 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity720 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBihar State Power Holding Co Ltd WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr40 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions3,515,500 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#445 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#400 of 716 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.72× · 1,000 MW median · 716 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent11,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate25.9°C · HDD 46 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 39/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 500 MW for Barauni power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 720 MW, BARAUNI is below 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.

~3,515,500 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

819kpassenger cars driven for a year
458khomes' yearly energy use
59 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 121 GWh20162017: 35 GWh20172018: 40 GWh2018121 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Bihar State Power Holding 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 (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 25.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.9°Cannual mean temp
46heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,924cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
44 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 17 °CJF: 20 °CFM: 25 °CMA: 30 °CAM: 32 °CMJ: 32 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 29 °CSO: 27 °CON: 22 °CND: 18 °CD32 °C

Heating degree-days here run 98% 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: 14/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
15.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
442 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 #400 largest coal power plant of 716 in India by capacity.

India has 716 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 806,969 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 25.3999, 86.0218 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is BARAUNI?

BARAUNI is a 720 MW source-record coal power plant in Bihar, India, commissioned in 2007.

How much electricity does BARAUNI generate?

BARAUNI generates about 40 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can BARAUNI power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 11,485 homes.

Who operates BARAUNI?

BARAUNI is operated by Bihar State Power Holding Co Ltd.

How much CO₂ does BARAUNI emit?

BARAUNI has modelled emissions of about 3,515,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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