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Huaneng Shangdu power station

Coal power plant in Inner Mongolia, China. Approximate location 42.2237, 116.0293.

CoalInner MongoliaChinasupercriticalCO₂ modelled

Huaneng Shangdu power station is a 3,720 MW coal power station in Inner Mongolia, China. It is operated by North United Power Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.7 million homes (estimated). It ranks #121 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 16,443,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 3.8 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).

3,720Source-backed capacity
4,655,314homes powered (est.)
16,443,000t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070661.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHuaneng Shangdu power station WRI
CountryChina · Inner Mongolia WRI
Coordinates42.2237, 116.0293 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity3,720 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNorth United Power Co Ltd WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI
Technologysupercritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions16,443,000 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#121 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#56 of 1907 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.31× · 700 MW median · 1907 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,655,314 calculated
Climate2.3°C · HDD 5,744 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 33/100 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 tracker 2026 (location L100000100887); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 3,720 MW, Huaneng Shangdu 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.

~16,443,000 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

3.8 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
2.1 millionhomes' yearly energy use
274 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in China

East Hope Metals Wucaiwan power station: 7,000 MW7kEast Hope …Datang Tuoketuo power station: 6,720 MW7kDatang Tuo…Togtoh power station: 6,720 MW7kTogtoh pow…Ying Long Shan power station: 6,300 MW6kYing Long …Jiaxing power station: 6,030 MW6kJiaxing po…Guazhou Changle power station: 6,000 MW6kGuazhou Ch…Guodian Yulin Jingbian power station: 6,000 MW6kGuodian Yu…Guoxin Dafeng power station: 6,000 MW6kGuoxin Daf…

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

Owner

Operated by North United Power Co Ltd. All plants by this company →

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 42.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

2.3°Cannual mean temp
5,744heating degree-days (base 18°C)
28cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,459 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -17 °CJF: -14 °CFM: -5 °CMA: 4 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 11 °CSO: 4 °CON: -6 °CND: -14 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 134% 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: 97/100 — 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

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
35.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
379 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 #56 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

Location

Coordinates 42.2237, 116.0293 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Huaneng Shangdu power station?

Huaneng Shangdu power station is a 3,720 MW source-record coal power plant in Inner Mongolia, China, commissioned in 2008.

How many homes can Huaneng Shangdu power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,655,314 homes (estimated).

Who operates Huaneng Shangdu power station?

Huaneng Shangdu power station is operated by North United Power Co Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Huaneng Shangdu power station emit?

Huaneng Shangdu power station has modelled emissions of about 16,443,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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