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Nong Son

Coal power plant in Quang Nam, Vietnam. Approximate location 15.7171, 108.03.

CoalQuang NamVietnamsubcritical

Nong Son is a 30 MW coal power plant in Quang Nam, Vietnam. It is operated by Vinacomin. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 38k homes (estimated). It ranks #186 of 298 Vietnam power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 48.1% of Vietnam's electricity; the national grid averages 461 gCO₂/kWh (45.4% low-carbon) (2025).

30Source-backed capacity
37,542homes powered (est.)
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030756.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNong Son WRI
CountryVietnam · Quang Nam WRI
Coordinates15.7171, 108.03 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerVinacomin WRI
Commissioned2014 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions131,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#186 of 298 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#51 of 51 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.05× · 650 MW median · 51 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent37,542 calculated
Climate25.3°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
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/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 L100000104329); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 30 MW, Nong Son is below the median coal plant in Vietnam (650 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 Vietnam

Song Hau Thermal Power Plant: 5,200 MW5kSong Hau T…Dung Quat Economic Zone power station: 4,400 MW4kDung Quat …Kien Luong power station: 4,400 MW4kKien Luong…Long Phu Power Centre: 4,320 MW4kLong Phu P…Son My power station: 3,600 MW4kSon My pow…Binh Dinh power station: 3,200 MW3kBinh Dinh …Van Phong power station: 2,752 MW3kVan Phong …Phu Yen power station: 2,400 MW2kPhu Yen po…

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

Owner

Operated by Vinacomin.

Local climate & thermal context

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 15.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.3°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,677cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
166 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 21 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 29 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 25 °CON: 23 °CND: 22 °CD29 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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 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
7.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
48 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 #51 largest coal power plant of 51 in Vietnam by capacity.

Vietnam has 51 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 64,702 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 15.7171, 108.03 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nong Son?

Nong Son is a 30 MW source-record coal power plant in Quang Nam, Vietnam, commissioned in 2014.

How many homes can Nong Son power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 37,542 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nong Son?

Nong Son is operated by Vinacomin.

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