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Ishikawa power station

Coal power plant in Okinawa, Japan. Approximate location 26.4307, 127.8419.

CoalOkinawaJapansubcritical

Ishikawa power station is a 312 MW coal power station in Okinawa, Japan. It is operated by J-POWER. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 390k homes (estimated). It ranks #170 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 32.1% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

312Source-backed capacity
390,445homes powered (est.)
1986commissioned (~40 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1020042.

Data status

Known data

FacilityIshikawa power station WRI
CountryJapan · Okinawa WRI
Coordinates26.4307, 127.8419 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity312 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerJ-POWER WRI
Commissioned1986 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,366,560 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#170 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#41 of 94 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.25× · 250 MW median · 94 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent390,445 calculated
Climate22.6°C · HDD 89 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 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 L100000102935); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 312 MW, Ishikawa power station is well above 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Japan

Hekinan power station: 4,100 MW4kHekinan po…J-POWER Tachibana-wan power station: 2,100 MW2kJ-POWER Ta…Haramachi power station: 2,000 MW2kHaramachi …Hitachinaka power station: 2,000 MW2kHitachinak…Matsuura power station: 2,000 MW2kMatsuura p…Shinchi power station: 2,000 MW2kShinchi po…Nakoso power station: 1,975 MW2kNakoso pow…Maizuru power station: 1,800 MW2kMaizuru po…

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

Owner

Operated by J-POWER.

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 26.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.6°Cannual mean temp
89heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,796cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
53 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 25 °CON: 22 °CND: 18 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 96% 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: 15/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
12.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 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 #41 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

Location

Coordinates 26.4307, 127.8419 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ishikawa power station?

Ishikawa power station is a 312 MW source-record coal power plant in Okinawa, Japan, commissioned in 1986.

How many homes can Ishikawa power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 390,445 homes (estimated).

Who operates Ishikawa power station?

Ishikawa power station is operated by J-POWER.

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