Helin power station is a 1,200 MW coal power station in Shanxi Sheng, China. It is operated by Northern United Power Co Ltd and Lin Power Plant. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #884 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2019, it is around 7 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 5,541,800 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 1.3 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 CT-2401.
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 · L100000100882; fuel: Climate TRACE
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,200 MW, Helin power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 MW). Technically it is described as 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.
~5,541,800 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
- less than 0.1% of 1,882,493 MW across 1,907 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1,197 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 Northern United Power Co Ltd and Lin Power Plant.
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a monsoon warm-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.3°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 101% 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: 94/100 — 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
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 #687 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
- Youyu · Solar · 10 MW · Shanxi Sheng
- Shanxi Yulong Youyu Niuxinbao · Wind · 250 MW · Shanxi Sheng
- Guodian Youyu Laoqianshan Phase 1 · Wind · 49 MW · Shanxi Sheng
- Guodian Shanxi Youyu Caojiashan Wind · Wind · 49 MW · Shanxi Sheng
- Liangcheng · Solar · 20 MW · Inner Mongolia
- Guodian Shanxi Youyu Caojiashan Phase 2 Wind · Wind · 49 MW · Shanxi Sheng
Location
Coordinates 40.2763, 112.1622 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Helin power station?
Helin power station is a 1,200 MW coal power plant in Shanxi Sheng, China, commissioned in 2019.
Who operates Helin power station?
Helin power station is operated by Northern United Power Co Ltd and Lin Power Plant.
How much CO₂ does Helin power station emit?
Helin power station has modelled emissions of about 5,541,800 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).