Home / Asia / Cambodia / Pailin power station

Pailin power station

Coal power plant in Pailin, Cambodia. Approximate location 12.850556, 102.609444.

CoalPailinCambodiasubcritical

Pailin power station is a 200 MW coal power station in Pailin, Cambodia. It is operated by Dragon Power [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 250k homes (estimated). It ranks #14 of 27 Cambodia power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 56.6% of Cambodia's electricity; the national grid averages 499 gCO₂/kWh (40.9% low-carbon) (2025).

200MW installed capacity
250,285homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPailin power station GEM-coal
CountryCambodia · Pailin GEM-coal
Coordinates12.850556, 102.609444 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity200 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerDragon Power [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions876,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#14 / 27 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 / 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.49× · 405 MW · n=8 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent250,285 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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 200 MW, Pailin power station is below the median coal plant in Cambodia (405 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 Cambodia

Koh Kong power station: 2,400 MW2kKoh Kong p…Sihanoukville CSG power station: 1,200 MW1kSihanoukvi…Kampot power station: 540 MW540Kampot pow…Sihanoukville CIIDG power station: 405 MW405Sihanoukvi…Han Seng power station: 265 MW265Han Seng p…Sihanoukville CEL power station: 250 MW250Sihanoukvi…Pailin power station: 200 MW200Pailin pow…Sihanoukville SEZ power station: 100 MW100Sihanoukvi…

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

Owner

Operated by Dragon Power [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 12.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~28°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical monsoon: warm all year, with distinct wet and dry seasons

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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
5.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
77 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 #7 largest coal power plant of 8 in Cambodia by capacity.

Cambodia has 8 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,360 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 12.850556, 102.609444 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pailin power station?

Pailin power station is a 200 MW coal power plant in Pailin, Cambodia.

How many homes can Pailin power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 250,285 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pailin power station?

Pailin power station is operated by Dragon Power [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.