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Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina)

Coal power plant in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Approximate location 21.623126, 91.903689.

CoalChattogramBangladeshultra-supercritical

Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina) is a 1,320 MW coal power station in Chattogram, Bangladesh. It is operated by SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co Ltd; Bangladesh Power Development Board. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.7 million homes (estimated). It ranks #26 of 129 Bangladesh power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 21.5% of Bangladesh's electricity; the national grid averages 696 gCO₂/kWh (2.1% low-carbon) (2025).

1,320MW installed capacity
1,651,885homes powered (est.)
2028Announced

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityMaheshkhali power station (PowerChina) GEM-coal
CountryBangladesh · Chattogram GEM-coal
Coordinates21.623126, 91.903689 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,320 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerSEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co Ltd; Bangladesh Power Development Board GEM-coal
Commissioned2028 GEM-coal
Technologyultra-supercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions5,781,600 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#26 / 129 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#14 / 29 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 1,320 MW · n=29 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,651,885 calculated
Environmental severityC5 · 50/100 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 1,320 MW, Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina) is around the median coal plant in Bangladesh (1,320 MW). Technically it is described as ultra-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 Bangladesh

Phulbari power station (Sinohydro): 4,000 MW4kPhulbari p…Patuakhali power station (RPCL/NORINCO): 2,640 MW3kPatuakhali…Payra power station (BCPCL): 2,640 MW3kPayra powe…Rampal power station: 2,640 MW3kRampal pow…Pekua power station: 2,600 MW3kPekua powe…Matarbari power station: 2,400 MW2kMatarbari …Phulbari power station (China Gezhouba): 2,000 MW2kPhulbari p…Banshkhali power station (S Alam): 1,320 MW1kBanshkhali…

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

Owner

Operated by SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co Ltd; Bangladesh Power Development Board.

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 monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~28°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical monsoon: 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
50/100environmental-severity index
8.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
25 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 #14 largest coal power plant of 29 in Bangladesh by capacity.

Bangladesh has 29 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 38,390 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 21.623126, 91.903689 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina)?

Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina) is a 1,320 MW coal power plant in Chattogram, Bangladesh, Announced 2028.

How many homes can Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,651,885 homes (estimated).

Who operates Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina)?

Maheshkhali power station (PowerChina) is operated by SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co Ltd; Bangladesh Power Development Board.

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