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Matsuura power station

Coal power plant in Nagasaki, Japan. Approximate location 33.3552, 129.6925.

CoalNagasakiJapanCO₂ modelled

Matsuura power station is a 2,000 MW coal power station in Nagasaki, Japan. It is operated by J-POWER. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #34 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 14,266,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 3.3 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 32.1% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

2,000Source-backed capacity
2,502,857homes powered (est.)
14,266,000t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000670.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMatsuura power station WRI
CountryJapan · Nagasaki WRI
Coordinates33.3552, 129.6925 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,000 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerJ-POWER WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions14,266,000 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#34 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 94 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.00× · 250 MW median · 94 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,502,857 calculated
Climate15.0°C · HDD 1,757 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 45/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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/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 L100000102940); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,000 MW, Matsuura power station is well above the median coal plant in Japan (250 MW). 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.

~14,266,000 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

3.3 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
1.9 millionhomes' yearly energy use
238 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 Japan

Hekinan power station: 4,100 MW4kHekinan po…J-POWER Tachibana-wan power station: 2,100 MW2kJ-POWER Ta…Haramachi power station: 2,000 MW2kHaramachi …Hitachinaka power station: 2,000 MW2kHitachinak…Matsuura power station: 2,000 MW2kMatsuura p…Shinchi power station: 2,000 MW2kShinchi po…Nakoso power station: 1,975 MW2kNakoso pow…Maizuru power station: 1,800 MW2kMaizuru po…

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

Owner

Operated by J-POWER.

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 climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.0°Cannual mean temp
1,757heating degree-days (base 18°C)
687cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
250 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 18 °CON: 12 °CND: 7 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 29% 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: 39/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
45/100environmental-severity index
21.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
42 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 #5 largest coal power plant of 94 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 94 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 53,431 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.3552, 129.6925 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Matsuura power station?

Matsuura power station is a 2,000 MW source-record coal power plant in Nagasaki, Japan, commissioned in 1994.

How many homes can Matsuura power station power?

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

Who operates Matsuura power station?

Matsuura power station is operated by J-POWER.

How much CO₂ does Matsuura power station emit?

Matsuura power station has modelled emissions of about 14,266,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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