Gushikawa power station is a 312 MW coal power station in Okinawa, Japan. It is operated by Okinawa Electric Power Co. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 390k homes (estimated). It ranks #169 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 1,734,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 404k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 32.1% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1020040.
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 · L100000102933; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 312 MW, Gushikawa power station is well above the median coal plant in Japan (250 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.
~1,734,400 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 Japan coal capacity
- 0.6% of 53,431 MW across 94 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 28 of 83 dated coal plants in Japan 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 Japan
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Okinawa Electric Power Co.
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 26.4°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 97% 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: 14/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #40 largest coal power plant of 94 in Japan by capacity.
Japan has 94 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 53,431 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Nakagusuku power station · Biomass · 49 MW · Okinawa
- Ishikawa Uruma power station · Oil · 353 MW · Uruma
- Ishikawa power station · Coal · 312 MW · Okinawa
- Kin power station · Coal · 440 MW · Okinawa
- Uruma · Solar · 12 MW · Okinawa
- Yoshinoura thermal power plant · Gas · 502 MW · Okinawa
Location
Coordinates 26.3799, 127.8757 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Gushikawa power station?
Gushikawa power station is a 312 MW coal power plant in Okinawa, Japan, commissioned in 1994.
Who operates Gushikawa power station?
Gushikawa power station is operated by Okinawa Electric Power Co.
How much CO₂ does Gushikawa power station emit?
Gushikawa power station has modelled emissions of about 1,734,400 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).