CPI Changshu-1 power station is a 3,320 MW coal power station in Jiangsu Sheng, China. It is operated by China Power Investment Corporation (CPI). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #129 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 23,766,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 5.5 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070281.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000100969; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 3,320 MW, CPI Changshu-1 power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 MW). Technically it is described as ultra-supercritical. 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.
~23,766,000 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
- Share of China coal capacity
- 0.2% of 1,882,493 MW across 1,907 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 367 of 1,446 dated coal plants in China 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 China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by China Power Investment Corporation (CPI). All plants by this company →
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 31.8°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 26% 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: 40/100 — 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
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), 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 #65 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
- Changshu-2 power station · Coal · 1,950 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
- Jiangsu Leeman Paper power station · Coal · 150 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
- UPM Changshu power station · Coal · 100 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
- Jiangsu Changshu No.2 power station · Biomass · 63 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
- Suzhou Chang Chun Chemical Cogen power station · Coal · 50 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
- Jiangsu OJI Paper Cogen power station · Coal · 80 MW · Jiangsu Sheng
Location
Coordinates 31.7563, 120.9731 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is CPI Changshu-1 power station?
CPI Changshu-1 power station is a 3,320 MW coal power plant in Jiangsu Sheng, China, commissioned in 2005.
Who operates CPI Changshu-1 power station?
CPI Changshu-1 power station is operated by China Power Investment Corporation (CPI).
How much CO₂ does CPI Changshu-1 power station emit?
CPI Changshu-1 power station has modelled emissions of about 23,766,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).