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Pucheng power station

Coal power plant in Shaanxi, China. Approximate location 34.9783, 109.8.

CoalShaanxiChinasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Pucheng power station is a 2,580 MW coal power station in Shaanxi, China. It is operated by Shaanxi Huadian Pucheng Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #206 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2004, it is around 22 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 8,912,300 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 2.1 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 54.3% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

2,580Source-backed capacity
3,228,685homes powered (est.)
8,912,300t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2004commissioned (~22 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070668.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPucheng power station WRI
CountryChina · Shaanxi WRI
Coordinates34.9783, 109.8 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,580 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerShaanxi Huadian Pucheng Co Ltd WRI
Commissioned2004 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions8,912,300 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#206 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#121 of 1907 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.69× · 700 MW median · 1907 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,228,685 calculated
Climate13.6°C · HDD 2,388 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 35/100 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.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000101269); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,580 MW, Pucheng power station is well above the median coal plant in China (700 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.

~8,912,300 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

2.1 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
1.2 millionhomes' yearly energy use
149 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in China

East Hope Metals Wucaiwan power station: 7,000 MW7kEast Hope …Datang Tuoketuo power station: 6,720 MW7kDatang Tuo…Togtoh power station: 6,720 MW7kTogtoh pow…Ying Long Shan power station: 6,300 MW6kYing Long …Jiaxing power station: 6,030 MW6kJiaxing po…Guazhou Changle power station: 6,000 MW6kGuazhou Ch…Guodian Yulin Jingbian power station: 6,000 MW6kGuodian Yu…Guoxin Dafeng power station: 6,000 MW6kGuoxin Daf…

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

Owner

Operated by Shaanxi Huadian Pucheng Co Ltd.

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 35.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.6°Cannual mean temp
2,388heating degree-days (base 18°C)
805cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
428 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 7 °CND: 1 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 3% 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: 49/100 — this site sits in the mid 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

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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
26.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
821 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 #121 largest coal power plant of 1907 in China by capacity.

China has 1907 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 1,882,493 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.9783, 109.8 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pucheng power station?

Pucheng power station is a 2,580 MW source-record coal power plant in Shaanxi, China, commissioned in 2004.

How many homes can Pucheng power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,228,685 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pucheng power station?

Pucheng power station is operated by Shaanxi Huadian Pucheng Co Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Pucheng power station emit?

Pucheng power station has modelled emissions of about 8,912,300 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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