Hikari Works power station is a 53 MW coal power plant in Yamaguchi, Japan. It is operated by Nippon Steel Stainless Steel Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 66k homes (estimated). It ranks #300 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 294,630 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 69k 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 CT-5276.
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 · L100000102974; fuel: Climate TRACE
In context: how this plant compares
At 53 MW, Hikari Works power station is below 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.
~294,630 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
- less than 0.1% of 53,431 MW across 94 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 21 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 Nippon Steel Stainless Steel Corp.
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 34.0°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 29% 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: 39/100 — 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
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness 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 #86 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
- Kudamatsu Thermal power plant · Oil · 700 MW · Yamaguchi
- Idemitsu Tokuyama Biomass power station · Biomass · 50 MW · Yamaguchi
- Tokuyama East power station · Coal · 445 MW ·
- Tokuyama Central power station · Coal · 372 MW · Yamaguchi
- Yanai · Gas · 1,578 MW · Yamaguchi
- Nanyo Complex power station · Coal · 630 MW · Yamaguchi
Location
Coordinates 33.9601, 131.9298 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Hikari Works power station?
Hikari Works power station is a 53 MW coal power plant in Yamaguchi, Japan, commissioned in 1989.
Who operates Hikari Works power station?
Hikari Works power station is operated by Nippon Steel Stainless Steel Corp.
How much CO₂ does Hikari Works power station emit?
Hikari Works power station has modelled emissions of about 294,630 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).