Cheongcheon-Gang power station — North Korea

Cheongcheon-Gang power station is a 200 MW coal power station in North Pyongan, North Korea. It is operated by Cheongcheon-Gang Power Plant [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 250k homes (estimated). It ranks #24 of 36 North Korea power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1976, it is around 50 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 34.1% of North Korea's electricity; the national grid averages 341 gCO₂/kWh (63.4% low-carbon) (2024).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103104; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 200 MW, Cheongcheon-Gang power station is around the median coal plant in North Korea (200 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 North Korea coal capacity

3.2% of 6,203 MW across 18 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

2 of 8 dated coal plants in North Korea are 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 North Korea

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

Owner

Operated by Cheongcheon-Gang Power Plant [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a monsoon hot-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 #14 largest coal power plant of 18 in North Korea by capacity.

North Korea has 18 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 6,203 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Anju Youth · Hydro · 10 MW · P'yongan-namdo
• Huichon · Hydro · 300 MW · P'yongan-bukto
• River Taedong · Hydro · 20 MW · P'yongan-namdo
• Nyongbyon nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 5 MW · North Pyongan
• Taechon nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 200 MW · North Pyongan
• Sunchon power station · Coal · 400 MW · P'yongan-namdo

Location

Coordinates 39.65655, 125.66883 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions