Mailao is a 4,200 MW coal power station in Taiwan, Taiwan. It is operated by Formosa Plastics Group (Mailiao Power Corp). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 5.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #4 of 60 Taiwan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 36.3% of Taiwan's electricity; the national grid averages 633 gCO₂/kWh (13.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000362.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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 1,800 MW for Mailiao 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
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 4,200 MW, Mailao is well above the median coal plant in Taiwan (324 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.
Key facts
- Share of Taiwan coal capacity
- 16.1% of 26,070 MW across 19 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 9 of 16 dated coal plants in Taiwan are older
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 Taiwan
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Formosa Plastics Group (Mailiao Power Corp).
Local climate & thermal context
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) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 23.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 95% below 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: 16/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
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 19 in Taiwan by capacity.
Taiwan has 19 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 26,070 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Kouhu · Solar · 5 MW · Yunlin
- Hsinkang SK power station · Coal · 361 MW · Chiayi
- Star Buck · Gas · 490 MW · Changhua
- Changgong power station · Coal · 1,600 MW · Changhua
- Changhua Coastal · Solar · 100 MW · Taiwan
- Chiahui · Gas · 670 MW · Chiayi
Location
Coordinates 23.8033, 120.1902 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Mailao?
Mailao is a 4,200 MW coal power plant in Taiwan, Taiwan, commissioned in 1998.
Who operates Mailao?
Mailao is operated by Formosa Plastics Group (Mailiao Power Corp).