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Rinkai power station

Gas power plant in Ibaraki, Japan. Approximate location 36.505, 140.6225.

GasIbarakiJapanOCGTCO₂ modelled

Rinkai power station is a 181 MW gas power station in Ibaraki, Japan. It is operated by Mistubishi Power Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 204k homes (estimated). It ranks #203 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 110,477 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 26k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 32.8% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

181Legacy source-record capacity
203,857homes powered (est.)
110,477t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-5307.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRinkai power station Climate TRACE
CountryJapan · Ibaraki Climate TRACE
Coordinates36.505, 140.6225 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity181 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMistubishi Power Ltd Climate TRACE
Commissioned2003 Climate TRACE
TechnologyOCGT Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions110,477 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#203 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#52 of 66 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.21× · 847 MW median · 66 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent203,857 calculated
Climate12.3°C · HDD 2,415 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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 106 MW for Rinkai power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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: Climate TRACE source-record capacity (modelled/legacy); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 181 MW, Rinkai power station is below the median gas plant in Japan (847 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~110,477 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

26kpassenger cars driven for a year
14khomes' yearly energy use
1.8 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Japan

Futtsu: 5,334 MW5kFuttsuHigashi Niigata: 4,810 MW5kHigashi Ni…Kawagoe: 4,802 MW5kKawagoeSodegaura: 3,600 MW4kSodegauraShin Nagoya: 3,058 MW3kShin NagoyaHimeji Daini: 2,919 MW3kHimeji Dai…Chiba: 2,880 MW3kChibaShin Oita: 2,295 MW2kShin Oita

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

Owner

Operated by Mistubishi Power Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.3°Cannual mean temp
2,415heating degree-days (base 18°C)
373cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
178 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 2% 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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
21.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 #52 largest gas power plant of 66 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 66 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 74,949 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.505, 140.6225 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Rinkai power station?

Rinkai power station is a 181 MW source-record gas power plant in Ibaraki, Japan, commissioned in 2003.

How many homes can Rinkai power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 203,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Rinkai power station?

Rinkai power station is operated by Mistubishi Power Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Rinkai power station emit?

Rinkai power station has modelled emissions of about 110,477 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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