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High Marnham power station

Coal power plant in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. Approximate location 53.22902, -0.792565.

CoalNottinghamshireUnited Kingdomsubcritical

High Marnham power station is a 1,000 MW coal power station in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom. It is operated by E.ON UK PLC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #49 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1959, it is around 67 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 0.1% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

1,000MW installed capacity
1,251,428homes powered (est.)
1959commissioned (~67 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityHigh Marnham power station GEM-coal
CountryUnited Kingdom · Nottinghamshire GEM-coal
Coordinates53.22902, -0.792565 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerE.ON UK PLC [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1959 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,380,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#49 / 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#15 / 23 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.88× · 1,140 MW · n=23 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,251,428 calculated
Climate9.7°C · HDD 3,026 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 26/100 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.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,000 MW, High Marnham power station is below the median coal plant in United Kingdom (1,140 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United Kingdom

Longannet power station: 4,856 MW5kLongannet …Kingsnorth power station: 3,772 MW4kKingsnorth…Cockenzie power station: 2,456 MW2kCockenzie …Didcot power station: 2,172 MW2kDidcot pow…Fiddler's Ferry power station: 2,132 MW2kFiddler's …West Burton: 2,012 MW2kWest BurtonCottam: 2,000 MW2kCottamRatcliffe: 2,000 MW2kRatcliffe

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

Owner

Operated by E.ON UK PLC [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 53.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.7°Cannual mean temp
3,026heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
18 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 7 °CND: 5 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 63/100 — 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

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
12.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
131 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 #15 largest coal power plant of 23 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 23 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 35,428 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 53.22902, -0.792565 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is High Marnham power station?

High Marnham power station is a 1,000 MW coal power plant in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, commissioned in 1959.

How many homes can High Marnham power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,251,428 homes (estimated).

Who operates High Marnham power station?

High Marnham power station is operated by E.ON UK PLC [100%].

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