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Hirakud Smelter power station

Coal power plant in Odisha, India. Approximate location 21.529687, 83.904569.

CoalOdishaIndiasubcritical

Hirakud Smelter power station is a 367.5 MW coal power station in Odisha, India. It is operated by Hindalco Industries Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 460k homes (estimated). It ranks #607 of 2,225 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 70.8% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).

367.5MW installed capacity
459,900homes powered (est.)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityHirakud Smelter power station GEM-coal
CountryIndia · Odisha GEM-coal
Coordinates21.529687, 83.904569 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity367.5 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000102466; operating plant capacity
OwnerHindalco Industries Ltd [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1994 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,609,650 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#607 / 2225 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#504 / 713 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.37× · 1,000 MW · n=713 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent459,900 calculated
Climate26.9°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 40/100 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/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 · 2026 · L100000102466; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 367.5 MW, Hirakud Smelter power station is below the median coal plant in India (1,000 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 India

Ontimavadi power station: 6,300 MW6kOntimavadi…Welspun Mega Industrial & Energy Park: 5,280 MW5kWelspun Me…Darlipali power station: 4,800 MW5kDarlipali …VINDH_CHAL STPS: 4,760 MW5kVINDH_CHAL…MUNDRA TPP: 4,620 MW5kMUNDRA TPPMundra Thermal Power Project (Adani): 4,620 MW5kMundra The…MUNDRA UMPP: 4,000 MW4kMUNDRA UMPPTata Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project: 4,000 MW4kTata Mundr…

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

Owner

Operated by Hindalco Industries Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.9°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,238cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
162 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 21 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 32 °CAM: 34 °CMJ: 32 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 27 °CON: 23 °CND: 20 °CD34 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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)
40/100environmental-severity index
14.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
278 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 #504 largest coal power plant of 713 in India by capacity.

India has 713 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 805,419 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 21.529687, 83.904569 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hirakud Smelter power station?

Hirakud Smelter power station is a 367.5 MW coal power plant in Odisha, India, commissioned in 1994.

How many homes can Hirakud Smelter power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 459,900 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hirakud Smelter power station?

Hirakud Smelter power station is operated by Hindalco Industries Ltd [100%].

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