Karo power station is a 600 MW coal power station in Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe. It is operated by Karo Mining Holdings Ltd; Government of Zimbabwe. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 25 Zimbabwe power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 42.9% of Zimbabwe's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (57.1% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_karo_zimba.
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 600 MW, Karo power station is around the median coal plant in Zimbabwe (600 MW). 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 Zimbabwe coal capacity
- 3.8% of 15,630 MW across 21 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 Zimbabwe
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Karo Mining Holdings Ltd; Government of Zimbabwe.
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 18.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
How it compares & nearby plants
The #12 largest coal power plant of 21 in Zimbabwe by capacity.
Zimbabwe has 21 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 15,630 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Sunny Yi Feng thermal power station · Coal · 210 MW · Mashonaland West
- Harare power station · Coal · 90 MW · Harare
- Dangote power station · Coal · 630 MW · Harare
- Lubu power station · Coal · 600 MW · Harare
- Western Coal and Energy power station · Coal · 600 MW · Harare
- Union Peak Thermal Kwekwe power station · Coal · 100 MW · Midlands
Location
Coordinates -18.567331, 30.669687 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Karo power station?
Karo power station is a 600 MW coal power plant in Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe.
Who operates Karo power station?
Karo power station is operated by Karo Mining Holdings Ltd; Government of Zimbabwe.