Brandon — Canada
Coal power plant in Manitoba, Canada. Approximate location 49.8453, -99.8918.
CoalManitobaCanadasubcritical
Brandon is a 98 MW coal power plant in Manitoba, Canada. It is operated by Manitoba Hydro. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 123k homes (estimated). It ranks #299 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1958, it is around 68 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 4.1% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN1060098.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 98 MW, Brandon is below the median coal plant in Canada (540 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.
Key facts
- Share of Canada coal capacity
- 0.7% of 14,386 MW across 20 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 17 dated coal plants in Canada is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Canada
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Manitoba Hydro.
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.8°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 128% 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: 97/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — 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 #19 largest coal power plant of 20 in Canada by capacity.
Canada has 20 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 14,386 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Brandon · Gas · 385 MW · Manitoba
- Border Winds Wind Farm · Wind · 150 MW · North Dakota
- St. Léon 1 / 2 · Wind · 120 MW · Manitoba
Location
Coordinates 49.8453, -99.8918 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Brandon?
Brandon is a 98 MW coal power plant in Manitoba, Canada, commissioned in 1958.
Who operates Brandon?
Brandon is operated by Manitoba Hydro.