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Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station

Coal power plant in Ishikawa, Japan. Approximate location 37.0664, 137.004.

CoalIshikawaJapanultra-supercriticalCO₂ modelled

Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station is a 1,200 MW coal power station in Ishikawa, Japan. It is operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Co. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #76 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 4,013,300 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 936k 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).

1,200Source-backed capacity
1,501,714homes powered (est.)
4,013,300t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000646.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNanao-Ohta Shinko power station WRI
CountryJapan · Ishikawa WRI
Coordinates37.0664, 137.004 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,200 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHokuriku Electric Power Co WRI
Commissioned1997 WRI
Technologyultra-supercritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions4,013,300 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#76 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 94 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.80× · 250 MW median · 94 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,501,714 calculated
Climate13.0°C · HDD 2,339 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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/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 L100000102875); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,200 MW, Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station is well above the median coal plant in Japan (250 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.

~4,013,300 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

936kpassenger cars driven for a year
523khomes' yearly energy use
67 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 Hokuriku Electric Power Co. All plants by this company →

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 37.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.0°Cannual mean temp
2,339heating degree-days (base 18°C)
532cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
116 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 5% 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: 48/100 — 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)
43/100environmental-severity index
22.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
29 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 #17 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 37.0664, 137.004 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station?

Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station is a 1,200 MW source-record coal power plant in Ishikawa, Japan, commissioned in 1997.

How many homes can Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,501,714 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station?

Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station is operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

How much CO₂ does Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station emit?

Nanao-Ohta Shinko power station has modelled emissions of about 4,013,300 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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