Pha Lai 1 is a 440 MW coal power station in Bac Giang, Vietnam. It is operated by Vietnam Electricity (EVN). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 551k homes (estimated). It ranks #85 of 298 Vietnam power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 48.1% of Vietnam's electricity; the national grid averages 461 gCO₂/kWh (45.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030771.
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 1,040 MW for Pha Lai Power Complex, 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 · L100000104312; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 440 MW, Pha Lai 1 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.
Key facts
- Share of Vietnam coal capacity
- 0.7% of 64,702 MW across 51 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 31 dated coal plants in Vietnam is 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 Vietnam
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Vietnam Electricity (EVN). 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 (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.1°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 97% below 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: 14/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), 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 #37 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
- Pha Lai 2 · Coal · 600 MW · Bac Giang
- An Khanh - Bac Giang power station · Coal · 650 MW · Bắc Giang
- Hai Duong Thermal Power Plant · Coal · 1,200 MW · Hải Dương
- Bao Dai power station · Coal · 600 MW · Bắc Giang
- Son Dong · Coal · 220 MW · Quang Ninh
- Tien Lang power station · Gas · 4,500 MW · Hai Phong
Location
Coordinates 21.1146, 106.31 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Pha Lai 1?
Pha Lai 1 is a 440 MW coal power plant in Bac Giang, Vietnam, commissioned in 1983.
Who operates Pha Lai 1?
Pha Lai 1 is operated by Vietnam Electricity (EVN).