Nyongbyon nuclear power plant — North Korea
Nuclear power plant in North Pyongan, North Korea. Approximate location 39.7974, 125.7549.
NuclearNorth PyonganNorth KoreaMAGNOXgas-cooled reactor
Nyongbyon nuclear power plant is a 5 MW nuclear power plant in North Pyongan, North Korea. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 11k homes (estimated). It ranks #36 of 36 North Korea power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 0.0% of North Korea's electricity; the national grid averages 341 gCO₂/kWh (63.4% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_nuc_nyongbyon_north.
Data status
Known 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 5 MW for Nyongbyon nuclear power plant, 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 Global Nuclear Power Tracker September 2025 unit-status sum (operating); fuel: GEM GNPT
In context: how this plant compares
Technically it is described as gas-cooled reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of North Korea nuclear capacity
- 0.2% of 2,205 MW across 3 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in North Korea
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Climate zone & how it works
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a monsoon hot-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling 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 #3 largest nuclear power plant of 3 in North Korea by capacity.
North Korea has 3 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 2,205 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Huichon · Hydro · 300 MW · P'yongan-bukto
- Cheongcheon-Gang power station · Coal · 200 MW · North Pyongan
- Anju Youth · Hydro · 10 MW · P'yongan-namdo
- Taechon nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 200 MW · North Pyongan
- River Taedong · Hydro · 20 MW · P'yongan-namdo
- Sunchon power station · Coal · 400 MW · P'yongan-namdo
Location
Coordinates 39.7974, 125.7549 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Nyongbyon nuclear power plant?
Nyongbyon nuclear power plant is a 5 MW nuclear power plant in North Pyongan, North Korea, commissioned in 1985.