Thunder Bay power station — Canada

Thunder Bay power station is a 320 MW coal power station in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 400k homes (estimated). It ranks #112 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 4.1% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

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

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 320 MW, Thunder Bay power station is below the median coal plant in Canada (540 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 Canada coal capacity

2.2% of 14,386 MW across 20 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

8 of 17 dated coal plants in Canada are older

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 Canada

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

Owner

Operated by Ontario Power Generation Inc [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 119% above 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: 96/100 — this site sits in the top 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

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling 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 #14 largest coal power plant of 20 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 20 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 14,386 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Thunderbay G3 · Biomass · 135 MW · Ontario
• Thunder Bay Condensing Turbine · Biomass · 62.4 MW · Ontario
• Fort William · Solar · 10.9 MW · Ontario
• Thunder Bay Airport · Solar · 8.5 MW · Ontario
• Kakabeka · Hydro · 25 MW · Ontario
• Silver Falls · Hydro · 51 MW · Ontario

Location

Coordinates 48.359117, -89.221319 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions