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Payra power station (BCPCL)

Coal power plant in Barisal, Bangladesh. Approximate location 21.9999671, 90.3056554.

CoalBarisalBangladeshultra-supercritical

Payra power station (BCPCL) is a 2,640 MW coal power station in Barisal, Bangladesh. It is operated by Bangladesh-China Power Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #8 of 129 Bangladesh power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 years old — recently built. In context, coal supplies about 21.5% of Bangladesh's electricity; the national grid averages 696 gCO₂/kWh (2.1% low-carbon) (2025).

2,640MW installed capacity
3,303,771homes powered (est.)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPayra power station (BCPCL) GEM-coal
CountryBangladesh · Barisal GEM-coal
Coordinates21.9999671, 90.3056554 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity2,640 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerBangladesh-China Power Co Ltd [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned2020 GEM-coal
Technologyultra-supercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions11,563,200 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#8 / 129 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 / 29 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.00× · 1,320 MW · n=29 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,303,771 calculated
Environmental severityC5 · 51/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,320 MW for Payra power station (BCPCL), but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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 2,640 MW, Payra power station (BCPCL) is well above the median coal plant in Bangladesh (1,320 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Bangladesh

Phulbari power station (Sinohydro): 4,000 MW4kPhulbari p…Patuakhali power station (RPCL/NORINCO): 2,640 MW3kPatuakhali…Payra power station (BCPCL): 2,640 MW3kPayra powe…Rampal power station: 2,640 MW3kRampal pow…Pekua power station: 2,600 MW3kPekua powe…Matarbari power station: 2,400 MW2kMatarbari …Phulbari power station (China Gezhouba): 2,000 MW2kPhulbari p…Banshkhali power station (S Alam): 1,320 MW1kBanshkhali…

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

Owner

Operated by Bangladesh-China Power Co Ltd [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 22.0°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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
51/100environmental-severity index
10.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
34 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 #3 largest coal power plant of 29 in Bangladesh by capacity.

Bangladesh has 29 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 38,390 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 21.9999671, 90.3056554 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Payra power station (BCPCL)?

Payra power station (BCPCL) is a 2,640 MW coal power plant in Barisal, Bangladesh, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can Payra power station (BCPCL) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,303,771 homes (estimated).

Who operates Payra power station (BCPCL)?

Payra power station (BCPCL) is operated by Bangladesh-China Power Co Ltd [100%].

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