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Lambton power station

Coal power plant in Ontario, Canada. Approximate location 42.796802, -82.469166.

CoalOntarioCanadasubcritical

Lambton power station is a 2,000 MW coal power station in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #18 of 1,211 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 4.1% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2,000MW installed capacity
2,502,857homes powered (est.)
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityLambton power station GEM-coal
CountryCanada · Ontario GEM-coal
Coordinates42.796802, -82.469166 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity2,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerOntario Power Generation Inc [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1970 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions8,760,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#18 / 1211 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 / 21 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.70× · 540 MW · n=21 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,502,857 calculated
Climate8.6°C · HDD 3,636 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 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 2,000 MW, Lambton power station is well above the median coal plant in Canada (540 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 Canada

Lakeview Generating Station: 2,400 MW2kLakeview G…Sundance: 2,141 MW2kSundanceLambton power station: 2,000 MW2kLambton po…Genesee: 1,857 MW2kGeneseeKeephills: 1,253 MW1kKeephillsBow City power station: 1,000 MW1kBow City p…Sheerness: 780 MW780SheernessBoundary Dam: 672 MW672Boundary D…

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

Owner

Operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.6°Cannual mean temp
3,636heating degree-days (base 18°C)
231cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
185 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -5 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 5 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 79/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
27.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
55 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 #3 largest coal power plant of 21 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 21 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 16,786 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 42.796802, -82.469166 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lambton power station?

Lambton power station is a 2,000 MW coal power plant in Ontario, Canada, commissioned in 1970.

How many homes can Lambton power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,502,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lambton power station?

Lambton power station is operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc [100%].

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