Huaneng Pingliang power station is a 2,520 MW coal power station in Gansu Sheng, China. It is operated by Huaneng Gansu Energy Development Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #215 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2006, it is around 20 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 10,576,100 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 2.5 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 WRI1070056.
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 · L100000100326; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 2,520 MW, Huaneng Pingliang power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 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.
~10,576,100 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
- 0.1% of 1,882,493 MW across 1,907 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 417 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 Huaneng Gansu Energy Development Co Ltd.
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 35.5°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 39% 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: 74/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — 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 #132 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
- Gansu Pingliang (Haichuang) power station · Biomass · 12 MW · Gansu Sheng
- Gansu Chongxin power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Gansu Sheng
- PowerChina Huating power station · Coal · 290 MW · Gansu Sheng
- Gansu Huating power station · Coal · 290 MW · Gansu Sheng
- Pengyang power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Ningxia
- Jiugang Pingliang waste coal power station · Coal · 600 MW · Gansu
Location
Coordinates 35.5014, 106.7871 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Huaneng Pingliang power station?
Huaneng Pingliang power station is a 2,520 MW coal power plant in Gansu Sheng, China, commissioned in 2006.
Who operates Huaneng Pingliang power station?
Huaneng Pingliang power station is operated by Huaneng Gansu Energy Development Co Ltd.
How much CO₂ does Huaneng Pingliang power station emit?
Huaneng Pingliang power station has modelled emissions of about 10,576,100 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).