Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project is a 2,640 MW coal power station in Qinghai, China. It is operated by Huadian (Golmud) Energy Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #190 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 54.3% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_qaidamdesertbasegolm_china.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 2,640 MW, Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project is well above the median coal plant in China (700 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.
Key facts
- Share of China coal capacity
- 0.1% of 1,882,493 MW across 1,907 plants in this dataset
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 China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Huadian (Golmud) Energy Co 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 cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #110 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
- Datang Golmud power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Qinghai
- Golmud · Gas · 300 MW · Qinghai Sheng
- Golmud 4 · Solar · 10 MW · Heilongjiang Sheng
- Golmud CPV · Solar · 50 MW · Heilongjiang Sheng
- Huadian Golmud power station · Coal · 2,640 MW · Qinghai
- Golmud 3 · Solar · 60 MW · Heilongjiang Sheng
Location
Coordinates 36.416667, 94.883333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project?
Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project is a 2,640 MW coal power plant in Qinghai, China.
Who operates Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project?
Qaidam Desert Energy Base (Golmud East) supporting coal-fired power project is operated by Huadian (Golmud) Energy Co Ltd.