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Guazhou Changle power station

Coal power plant in Gansu Sheng, China. Approximate location 40.654, 96.5027.

CoalGansu ShengChinaultra-supercriticalCO₂ modelled

Guazhou Changle power station is a 6,000 MW coal power station in Gansu Sheng, China. It is operated by Gansu Power Investment Changle Power Generation Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 7.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #35 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 17,177,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 4.0 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).

6,000Source-backed capacity
7,508,571homes powered (est.)
17,177,000t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-2144.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGuazhou Changle power station Climate TRACE
CountryChina · Gansu Sheng Climate TRACE
Coordinates40.654, 96.5027 Climate TRACE
FuelCoal Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity6,000 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGansu Power Investment Changle Power Generation Co Ltd Climate TRACE
Commissioned2020 Climate TRACE
Technologyultra-supercritical Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions17,177,000 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#35 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 1907 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.57× · 700 MW median · 1907 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,508,571 calculated
Climate7.7°C · HDD 4,069 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in 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 6,000 MW for Guazhou Changle power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000100318); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 6,000 MW, Guazhou Changle 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.

~17,177,000 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

4.0 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
2.2 millionhomes' yearly energy use
286 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in China

East Hope Metals Wucaiwan power station: 7,000 MW7kEast Hope …Datang Tuoketuo power station: 6,720 MW7kDatang Tuo…Togtoh power station: 6,720 MW7kTogtoh pow…Ying Long Shan power station: 6,300 MW6kYing Long …Jiaxing power station: 6,030 MW6kJiaxing po…Guazhou Changle power station: 6,000 MW6kGuazhou Ch…Guodian Yulin Jingbian power station: 6,000 MW6kGuodian Yu…Guoxin Dafeng power station: 6,000 MW6kGuoxin Daf…

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

Owner

Operated by Gansu Power Investment Changle Power Generation 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 cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.7°Cannual mean temp
4,069heating degree-days (base 18°C)
323cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,382 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -5 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 8 °CON: -1 °CND: -8 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 66% 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: 85/100 — 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
32.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
9999 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #6 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

Location

Coordinates 40.654, 96.5027 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Guazhou Changle power station?

Guazhou Changle power station is a 6,000 MW source-record coal power plant in Gansu Sheng, China, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can Guazhou Changle power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,508,571 homes (estimated).

Who operates Guazhou Changle power station?

Guazhou Changle power station is operated by Gansu Power Investment Changle Power Generation Co Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Guazhou Changle power station emit?

Guazhou Changle power station has modelled emissions of about 17,177,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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