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Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project

Coal power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. Approximate location 25.28, 81.93.

CoalUttar PradeshIndiasupercritical

Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project is a 4,000 MW coal power station in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is operated by Central Electricity Authority (India) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 5.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #22 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).

4,000MW installed capacity
5,005,714homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityKarchana Ultra Mega Power Project GEM-coal
CountryIndia · Uttar Pradesh GEM-coal
Coordinates25.28, 81.93 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity4,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerCentral Electricity Authority (India) [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysupercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions17,520,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#22 / 2225 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#19 / 713 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.00× · 1,000 MW · n=713 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent5,005,714 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 4,000 MW, Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project 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.

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 Central Electricity Authority (India) [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 25.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Hot-summer mediterranean: hot summers and mild winters

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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
18.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
723 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 #19 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 25.28, 81.93 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project?

Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project is a 4,000 MW coal power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India.

How many homes can Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 5,005,714 homes (estimated).

Who operates Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project?

Karchana Ultra Mega Power Project is operated by Central Electricity Authority (India) [100%].

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