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TUTICORIN

Coal power plant in Tamil Nadu, India. Approximate location 8.7635, 78.1753.

CoalTamil NaduIndiasubcriticalCO₂ modelled

TUTICORIN is a 1,050 MW coal power station in Tamil Nadu, India. It is operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 5,808 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.7 million homes. It ranks #373 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 5,984,700 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 1.4 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 70.8% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,050Source-backed capacity
5,808GWh reported / yr
1,659,400homes powered
5,984,700t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000466.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTUTICORIN WRI
CountryIndia · Tamil Nadu WRI
Coordinates8.7635, 78.1753 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,050 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr5,808 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions5,984,700 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#373 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#346 of 716 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.05× · 1,000 MW median · 716 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,659,400 calculated from reported generation
Climate29.0°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 51/100 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 L100000102587); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,050 MW, TUTICORIN is around the median coal plant in India (1,000 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.

~5,984,700 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.4 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
780khomes' yearly energy use
100 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2014: 7,043 GWh20142015: 6,501 GWh20152016: 5,090 GWh20162017: 4,813 GWh20172018: 5,808 GWh20187k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

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 8.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

29.0°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
4,010cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 27 °CJF: 28 °CFM: 29 °CMA: 31 °CAM: 31 °CMJ: 30 °CJJ: 30 °CJA: 30 °CAS: 30 °CSO: 29 °CON: 27 °CND: 27 °CD31 °C

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

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 aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
51/100environmental-severity index
4.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
25 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 #346 largest coal power plant of 716 in India by capacity.

India has 716 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 806,969 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 8.7635, 78.1753 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is TUTICORIN?

TUTICORIN is a 1,050 MW source-record coal power plant in Tamil Nadu, India, commissioned in 1984.

How much electricity does TUTICORIN generate?

TUTICORIN generates about 5,808 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can TUTICORIN power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,659,400 homes.

Who operates TUTICORIN?

TUTICORIN is operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd.

How much CO₂ does TUTICORIN emit?

TUTICORIN has modelled emissions of about 5,984,700 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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