Karaikal Port power station is a 1,980 MW coal power station in , India. It is operated by NLC India Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #134 of 2,225 India power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 70.8% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_karaikalport_india.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,980 MW, Karaikal Port power station is well above the median coal plant in India (1,000 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.
Key facts
- Share of India coal capacity
- 0.2% of 805,419 MW across 713 plants in this dataset
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 India
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by NLC India 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 10.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
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
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #125 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
- KARAIKAL · Gas · 32.5 MW · Pondicherry
- Muttam · Solar · 4 MW · Tamil Nadu
- Talanchankadu power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Tamil Nadu
- Tharangambadi power station (Patel Power) · Coal · 1,050 MW · Tamil Nadu
- Tharangambadi power station (PPN Power) · Coal · 320 MW · Tamil Nadu
- Nagai Nagapattinam Power Project · Coal · 150 MW · Tamil Nadu
Location
Coordinates 10.906007, 79.848676 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Karaikal Port power station?
Karaikal Port power station is a 1,980 MW coal power plant in , India.
Who operates Karaikal Port power station?
Karaikal Port power station is operated by NLC India Ltd [100%].