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UPPC

Coal power plant in Central Luzon, Philippines. Approximate location 14.8952, 120.7715.

CoalCentral LuzonPhilippinessubcritical

UPPC is a 30 MW coal power plant in Central Luzon, Philippines. It is operated by United Pulp & Paper Co. Inc. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 38k homes (estimated). It ranks #140 of 186 Philippines power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 58.7% of Philippines's electricity; the national grid averages 588 gCO₂/kWh (23.3% low-carbon) (2025).

30Source-backed capacity
37,542homes powered (est.)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030480.

Data status

Known data

FacilityUPPC WRI
CountryPhilippines · Central Luzon WRI
Coordinates14.8952, 120.7715 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerUnited Pulp & Paper Co. Inc WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions131,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#140 of 186 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#50 of 50 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.10× · 300 MW median · 50 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent37,542 calculated
Climate27.2°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 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 L100000104611); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 30 MW, UPPC is below the median coal plant in Philippines (300 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Philippines

Sual power station: 1,294 MW1kSual power…SMC Mariveles power station: 1,200 MW1kSMC Marive…Zest-O power station: 1,200 MW1kZest-O pow…Pagbilao power station: 1,155 MW1kPagbilao p…Quezon power station: 1,066 MW1kQuezon pow…Masinloc power station: 1,026 MW1kMasinloc p…Calaca power station: 900 MW900Calaca pow…Mariveles Power Plant: 652 MW652Mariveles …

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

Owner

Operated by United Pulp & Paper Co. Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.2°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,371cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
9 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 25 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 29 °CAM: 29 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 27 °CON: 27 °CND: 26 °CD29 °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)
48/100environmental-severity index
3.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
39 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 #50 largest coal power plant of 50 in Philippines by capacity.

Philippines has 50 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 18,322 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 14.8952, 120.7715 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is UPPC?

UPPC is a 30 MW source-record coal power plant in Central Luzon, Philippines, commissioned in 1998.

How many homes can UPPC power?

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

Who operates UPPC?

UPPC is operated by United Pulp & Paper Co. Inc.

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