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Lanzhou Lanlü power station

Coal power plant in Gansu Sheng, China. Approximate location 36.1564, 103.3317.

CoalGansu ShengChinasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Lanzhou Lanlü power station is a 900 MW coal power station in Gansu Sheng, China. It is operated by Lanzhou Aluminum Corporation. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.1 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1058 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 3,420,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 797k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 54.3% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

900Source-backed capacity
1,126,285homes powered (est.)
3,420,400t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070254.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLanzhou Lanlü power station WRI
CountryChina · Gansu Sheng WRI
Coordinates36.1564, 103.3317 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity900 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLanzhou Aluminum Corporation WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions3,420,400 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1058 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#760 of 1907 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.29× · 700 MW median · 1907 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,126,285 calculated
Climate7.3°C · HDD 3,946 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 39/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 900 MW for Lanzhou Lanlü power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000100336); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 900 MW, Lanzhou Lanlü power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 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.

~3,420,400 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

797kpassenger cars driven for a year
446khomes' yearly energy use
57 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in China

East Hope Metals Wucaiwan power station: 7,000 MW7kEast Hope …Datang Tuoketuo power station: 6,720 MW7kDatang Tuo…Togtoh power station: 6,720 MW7kTogtoh pow…Ying Long Shan power station: 6,300 MW6kYing Long …Jiaxing power station: 6,030 MW6kJiaxing po…Guazhou Changle power station: 6,000 MW6kGuazhou Ch…Guodian Yulin Jingbian power station: 6,000 MW6kGuodian Yu…Guoxin Dafeng power station: 6,000 MW6kGuoxin Daf…

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

Owner

Operated by Lanzhou Aluminum Corporation.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.3°Cannual mean temp
3,946heating degree-days (base 18°C)
78cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,029 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -7 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 8 °CON: 1 °CND: -6 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 61% 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: 84/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
26.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
9999 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 #760 largest coal power plant of 1907 in China by capacity.

China has 1907 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 1,882,493 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.1564, 103.3317 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lanzhou Lanlü power station?

Lanzhou Lanlü power station is a 900 MW source-record coal power plant in Gansu Sheng, China, commissioned in 2008.

How many homes can Lanzhou Lanlü power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,126,285 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lanzhou Lanlü power station?

Lanzhou Lanlü power station is operated by Lanzhou Aluminum Corporation.

How much CO₂ does Lanzhou Lanlü power station emit?

Lanzhou Lanlü power station has modelled emissions of about 3,420,400 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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