Erdenet power station — Mongolia

Erdenet power station is a 35 MW coal power plant in Orkhon, Mongolia. It is operated by Hunan Industrial Equipment Installation Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 44k homes (estimated). It ranks #21 of 25 Mongolia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2021, it is around 5 years old — recently built. In context, coal supplies about 85.8% of Mongolia's electricity; the national grid averages 816 gCO₂/kWh (8.4% low-carbon) (2025).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103040; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 35 MW, Erdenet power station is below the median coal plant in Mongolia (450 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 Mongolia coal capacity

0.3% of 12,669 MW across 20 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

3 of 12 dated coal plants in Mongolia 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 Mongolia

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

Owner

Operated by Hunan Industrial Equipment Installation Co Ltd [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 subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.0°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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very 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 #20 largest coal power plant of 20 in Mongolia by capacity.

Mongolia has 20 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 12,669 MW of capacity.

Location

Coordinates 49.0408, 104.098 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions