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Soma power station

Coal power plant in Manisa, Turkey. Approximate location 39.194462, 27.635204.

CoalManisaTurkeysubcritical

Soma power station is a 990 MW coal power station in Manisa, Turkey. It is operated by Soma Termik Santral Elektrik Uretim AŞ [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #91 of 502 Turkey power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 34.3% of Turkey's electricity; the national grid averages 475 gCO₂/kWh (43.3% low-carbon) (2025).

990Source-backed capacity
1,238,914homes powered (est.)
1981commissioned (~45 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilitySoma power station GEM-coal
CountryTurkey · Manisa GEM-coal
Coordinates39.194462, 27.635204 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity990 MW GEM-coal source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSoma Termik Santral Elektrik Uretim AŞ [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1981 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,336,200 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#91 of 502 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#67 of 184 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.57× · 630 MW median · 184 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,238,914 calculated
Climate14.9°C · HDD 1,785 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 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 L100000103688); fuel: GEM-coal source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 990 MW, Soma power station is well above the median coal plant in Turkey (630 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Turkey

Afşin-Elbistan power stations: 9,283 MW9kAfşin-Elbi…ZETES power stations: 3,450 MW3kZETES powe…Afşin Elbistan Termik Santrali: 2,795 MW3kAfşin Elbi…ZETES power stations: 2,790 MW3kZETES powe…Zonguldak Eren (ZETES): 2,090 MW2kZonguldak …İskenderun power station: 2,000 MW2kİskenderun…Karapinar Konya Şeker power station: 2,000 MW2kKarapinar …METES power station: 2,000 MW2kMETES powe…

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

Owner

Operated by Soma Termik Santral Elektrik Uretim AŞ [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.9°Cannual mean temp
1,785heating degree-days (base 18°C)
654cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
259 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 16 °CON: 10 °CND: 7 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 27% 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: 39/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
19.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
134 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 #67 largest coal power plant of 184 in Turkey by capacity.

Turkey has 184 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 147,855 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.194462, 27.635204 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Soma power station?

Soma power station is a 990 MW source-record coal power plant in Manisa, Turkey, commissioned in 1981.

How many homes can Soma power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,238,914 homes (estimated).

Who operates Soma power station?

Soma power station is operated by Soma Termik Santral Elektrik Uretim AŞ [100%].

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