Tarakan power station is a 200 MW coal power station in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is operated by PT PLN (Persero) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 250k homes (estimated). It ranks #197 of 401 Indonesia power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 61.5% of Indonesia's electricity; the national grid averages 680 gCO₂/kWh (18.1% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_tarakan_indon.
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 200 MW, Tarakan power station is around the median coal plant in Indonesia (220 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.
Key facts
- Share of Indonesia coal capacity
- 0.2% of 101,995 MW across 191 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 Indonesia
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by PT PLN (Persero) [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 3.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
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
This site sits in an extreme marine/tropical environment (estimated ISO 9223 class CX — Extreme), with marine salt corrosion 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 #126 largest coal power plant of 191 in Indonesia by capacity.
Indonesia has 191 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 101,995 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- PLTG Tarakan · Gas · 23 MW · North Kalimantan
- I Skip power station · Coal · 30 MW · East Kalimantan
- PLTMG Pulau Bunyu · Gas · 2 MW · North Kalimantan
- AlamTri Aluminum Smelter power station · Coal · 2,200 MW · East Kalimantan
- Tawau Power Station (SESB) · Oil · 64 MW · Sabah
- Serudong Power · Oil · 36 MW · Sabah
Location
Coordinates 3.3, 117.633333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Tarakan power station?
Tarakan power station is a 200 MW coal power plant in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Who operates Tarakan power station?
Tarakan power station is operated by PT PLN (Persero) [100%].