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Phulbari power station (Sinohydro)

Coal power plant in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Approximate location 25.946873, 89.55324.

CoalRangpurBangladeshultra-supercriticalAnnounced

Phulbari power station (Sinohydro) is a 4,000 MW coal power station in Rangpur, Bangladesh. It is operated by GCM Resources PLC; Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 5.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 129 Bangladesh power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 21.5% of Bangladesh's electricity; the national grid averages 696 gCO₂/kWh (2.1% low-carbon) (2025).

4,000MW installed capacity
5,005,714homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPhulbari power station (Sinohydro) GEM-coal
CountryBangladesh · Rangpur GEM-coal
Coordinates25.946873, 89.55324 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity4,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerGCM Resources PLC; Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd GEM-coal
Technologyultra-supercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions17,520,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#1 / 129 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 29 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.03× · 1,320 MW · n=29 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent5,005,714 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 4,000 MW, Phulbari power station (Sinohydro) is well above the median coal plant in Bangladesh (1,320 MW). Technically it is described as ultra-supercritical. Its current lifecycle status is “Announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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 GCM Resources PLC; Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd.

Climate zone & how it works

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 25.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~19°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical (dry winter): hot summers and mild winters

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
11.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
428 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 #1 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 25.946873, 89.55324 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Phulbari power station (Sinohydro)?

Phulbari power station (Sinohydro) is a 4,000 MW coal power plant in Rangpur, Bangladesh.

How many homes can Phulbari power station (Sinohydro) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 5,005,714 homes (estimated).

Who operates Phulbari power station (Sinohydro)?

Phulbari power station (Sinohydro) is operated by GCM Resources PLC; Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd.

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