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Mae Moh power station

Coal power plant in Lampang, Thailand. Approximate location 18.296, 99.752.

CoalLampangThailandsubcritical

Mae Moh power station is a 3,880 MW coal power station in Lampang, Thailand. It is operated by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.9 million homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 238 Thailand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 17.8% of Thailand's electricity; the national grid averages 546 gCO₂/kWh (16.6% low-carbon) (2025).

3,880MW installed capacity
4,855,542homes powered (est.)
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityMae Moh power station GEM-coal
CountryThailand · Lampang GEM-coal
Coordinates18.296, 99.752 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity3,880 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000103576; part of a generating complex
OwnerElectricity Generating Authority of Thailand [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1978 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions16,994,400 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#2 / 238 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 18 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.88× · 660 MW · n=18 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,855,542 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 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 2,455 MW for Mae Moh power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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 · 2026 · L100000103576; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 3,880 MW, Mae Moh power station is well above the median coal plant in Thailand (660 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 Thailand

Mae Moh power station: 3,880 MW4kMae Moh po…Mae Mah: 2,455 MW2kMae MahThepha power station: 2,200 MW2kThepha pow…Unnamed Thailand coal plants: 2,000 MW2kUnnamed Th…BLCP Power: 1,434 MW1kBLCP PowerPanare power station: 1,000 MW1kPanare pow…Krabi coal power station: 870 MW870Krabi coal…Hua Sai Coal Power Plant Project: 800 MW800Hua Sai Co…

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

Owner

Operated by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 18.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical savanna: warm all year, with distinct wet and dry seasons

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)
36/100environmental-severity index
8.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
311 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 #1 largest coal power plant of 18 in Thailand by capacity.

Thailand has 18 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 17,394 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 18.296, 99.752 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mae Moh power station?

Mae Moh power station is a 3,880 MW coal power plant in Lampang, Thailand, commissioned in 1978.

How many homes can Mae Moh power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,855,542 homes (estimated).

Who operates Mae Moh power station?

Mae Moh power station is operated by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [100%].

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