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 #444 of 2,225 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000035.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from 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).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
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:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 1%, from 40 GWh of reported generation; the median for 167 coal plants in India that report generation is 54%
- Generation trend
- 121 GWh in 2016 and 40 GWh in 2018 (−67%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2016: 121 GWh; 2017: 35 GWh
- Share of India coal capacity
- less than 0.1% of 805,419 MW across 713 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 119 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
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.
Monthly mean temperature
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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #399 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
- Moma power station · Coal · 1,980 MW · Bihar
- Kiul Thermal Power Project · Coal · 1,320 MW · Bihar
- BARH STPP II · Coal · 1,320 MW · Bihar
- Lakhisarai Thermal Power Station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Bihar
- Sirdala power station · Coal · 2,640 MW · Bihar
- Dona power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Bihar
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 coal power plant in Bihar, India, commissioned in 2007.
How much electricity does BARAUNI generate?
BARAUNI generates about 40 GWh of electricity per year.
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).