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Tosa power station

Coal power plant in Kochi, Japan. Approximate location 33.534, 133.5575.

CoalKochiJapansubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Tosa power station is a 30 MW coal power plant in Kochi, Japan. It is operated by Taiheiyo Cement Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 38k homes (estimated). It ranks #391 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 928,370 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 216k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 32.1% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

30Legacy source-record capacity
37,542homes powered (est.)
928,370t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1020058.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTosa power station WRI
CountryJapan · Kochi WRI
Coordinates33.534, 133.5575 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTaiheiyo Cement Corp WRI
Commissioned2005 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions928,370 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#391 of 692 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#94 of 94 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.12× · 250 MW median · 94 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent37,542 calculated
Climate17.0°C · HDD 1,306 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 47/100 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 30 MW, Tosa power station is below the median coal plant in Japan (250 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.

~928,370 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

216kpassenger cars driven for a year
121khomes' yearly energy use
15 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Japan

Hekinan power station: 4,100 MW4kHekinan po…J-POWER Tachibana-wan power station: 2,100 MW2kJ-POWER Ta…Haramachi power station: 2,000 MW2kHaramachi …Hitachinaka power station: 2,000 MW2kHitachinak…Matsuura power station: 2,000 MW2kMatsuura p…Shinchi power station: 2,000 MW2kShinchi po…Nakoso power station: 1,975 MW2kNakoso pow…Maizuru power station: 1,800 MW2kMaizuru po…

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

Owner

Operated by Taiheiyo Cement Corp.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.0°Cannual mean temp
1,306heating degree-days (base 18°C)
972cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
20 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 14 °CND: 9 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 47% 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: 31/100 — 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
47/100environmental-severity index
20.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
36 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 #94 largest coal power plant of 94 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 94 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 53,431 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.534, 133.5575 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tosa power station?

Tosa power station is a 30 MW source-record coal power plant in Kochi, Japan, commissioned in 2005.

How many homes can Tosa power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 37,542 homes (estimated).

Who operates Tosa power station?

Tosa power station is operated by Taiheiyo Cement Corp.

How much CO₂ does Tosa power station emit?

Tosa power station has modelled emissions of about 928,370 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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