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Son My power station

Coal power plant in Bình Thuận, Vietnam. Approximate location 10.75, 107.667.

CoalBình ThuậnVietnam

Son My power station is a 3,600 MW coal power station in Bình Thuận, Vietnam. It is operated by Son My Electricity Centre [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #19 of 298 Vietnam power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 48.1% of Vietnam's electricity; the national grid averages 461 gCO₂/kWh (45.4% low-carbon) (2025).

3,600MW installed capacity
4,505,142homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilitySon My power station GEM-coal
CountryVietnam · Bình Thuận GEM-coal
Coordinates10.75, 107.667 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity3,600 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerSon My Electricity Centre [100%] GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions15,768,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#19 / 298 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 / 51 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.54× · 650 MW · n=51 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,505,142 calculated
Environmental severityCX · 53/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 3,600 MW, Son My power station is well above the median coal plant in Vietnam (650 MW). 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 Vietnam

Song Hau Thermal Power Plant: 5,200 MW5kSong Hau T…Dung Quat Economic Zone power station: 4,400 MW4kDung Quat …Kien Luong power station: 4,400 MW4kKien Luong…Long Phu Power Centre: 4,320 MW4kLong Phu P…Son My power station: 3,600 MW4kSon My pow…Binh Dinh power station: 3,200 MW3kBinh Dinh …Van Phong power station: 2,752 MW3kVan Phong …Phu Yen power station: 2,400 MW2kPhu Yen po…

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

Owner

Operated by Son My Electricity Centre [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 10.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical savanna: warm all year, with distinct wet and dry seasons

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 extreme marine/tropical environment (estimated ISO 9223 class CX — Extreme), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

CXISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
53/100environmental-severity index
3.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
9 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 #5 largest coal power plant of 51 in Vietnam by capacity.

Vietnam has 51 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 64,702 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 10.75, 107.667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Son My power station?

Son My power station is a 3,600 MW coal power plant in Bình Thuận, Vietnam.

How many homes can Son My power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,505,142 homes (estimated).

Who operates Son My power station?

Son My power station is operated by Son My Electricity Centre [100%].

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