Noshiro power station is a 1,800 MW coal power station in Akita, Japan. It is operated by Tohoku Electric Power Co. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #47 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 10,006,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 2.3 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000620.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source 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 Noshiro 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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000102910; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,800 MW, Noshiro 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.
~10,006,400 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.
Key facts
- Share of Japan coal capacity
- 3.4% of 53,431 MW across 94 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 28 of 83 dated coal plants in Japan 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 Japan
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Tohoku 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 40.2°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 17% 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: 59/100 — 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
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness 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 #9 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
- Ikawa - Juwi Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.5 MW · Akita
- Akita · Oil · 1,300 MW · Akita
- Nippon Paper Akita power station · Coal · 112 MW · Akita Prefecture
- Mukaihama Biomass power station · Biomass · 20.5 MW · Akita
- Onuma Plant · Geothermal · 9.5 MW · Akita
- Sumikawa Akita · Geothermal · 50 MW · Akita
Location
Coordinates 40.1912, 139.9911 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Noshiro power station?
Noshiro power station is a 1,800 MW coal power plant in Akita, Japan, commissioned in 1994.
Who operates Noshiro power station?
Noshiro power station is operated by Tohoku Electric Power Co.
How much CO₂ does Noshiro power station emit?
Noshiro power station has modelled emissions of about 10,006,400 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).