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Sendai

Oil power plant in Kagoshima, Japan. Approximate location 31.8579, 130.1997.

OilKagoshimaJapanSteam

Sendai is a 1,000 MW oil power station in Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by Kyushu. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #103 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, oil supplies about 2.5% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,000Legacy source-record capacity
750,857homes powered (est.)
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000668.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySendai WRI
CountryJapan · Kagoshima WRI
Coordinates31.8579, 130.1997 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity1,000 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKyushu WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,971,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#103 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#21 of 41 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 1,000 MW median · 41 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent750,857 calculated
Climate16.4°C · HDD 1,442 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 51/100 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 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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,000 MW, Sendai is around the median oil plant in Japan (1,000 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Japan

Hirono: 4,400 MW4kHironoKashima: 4,400 MW4kKashimaChita: 3,966 MW4kChitaAnegasaki: 3,150 MW3kAnegasakiYokohama: 3,016 MW3kYokohamaYokosuka: 2,274 MW2kYokosukaKainan: 2,100 MW2kKainanAtsumi: 1,900 MW2kAtsumi

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

Owner

Operated by Kyushu. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.4°Cannual mean temp
1,442heating degree-days (base 18°C)
885cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
104 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 7 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 14 °CND: 8 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 41% 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: 33/100 — 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

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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
51/100environmental-severity index
20.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
12 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 #21 largest oil power plant of 41 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 41 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 48,987 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.8579, 130.1997 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sendai?

Sendai is a 1,000 MW source-record oil power plant in Kagoshima, Japan, commissioned in 1974.

How many homes can Sendai power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 750,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sendai?

Sendai is operated by Kyushu.

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