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Nippon Paper Akita power station

Coal power plant in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Approximate location 39.7417, 140.058588.

CoalAkita PrefectureJapansubcritical

Nippon Paper Akita power station is a 112 MW coal power station in Akita Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Nippon Paper Group Inc [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 140k homes (estimated). It ranks #243 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 32.1% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

112MW installed capacity
140,160homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityNippon Paper Akita power station GEM-coal
CountryJapan · Akita Prefecture GEM-coal
Coordinates39.7417, 140.058588 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity112 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerNippon Paper Group Inc [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions490,560 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#243 / 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#71 / 94 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.45× · 250 MW · n=94 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent140,160 calculated
Climate10.8°C · HDD 2,959 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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 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 112 MW, Nippon Paper Akita power station is below the median coal plant in Japan (250 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 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 Nippon Paper Group Inc [100%].

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 39.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.8°Cannual mean temp
2,959heating degree-days (base 18°C)
352cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
77 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 13 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 20% above 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: 62/100 — 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)
41/100environmental-severity index
24.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
27 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 #71 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 39.7417, 140.058588 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nippon Paper Akita power station?

Nippon Paper Akita power station is a 112 MW coal power plant in Akita Prefecture, Japan.

How many homes can Nippon Paper Akita power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 140,160 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nippon Paper Akita power station?

Nippon Paper Akita power station is operated by Nippon Paper Group Inc [100%].

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