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Yeongnam

Coal power plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Approximate location 35.5141, 129.3835.

CoalUlsanSouth KoreaMitsubishi Power: M501JCO₂ modelled

Yeongnam is a 400 MW coal power station in Ulsan, South Korea. It is operated by Korea Southern Power. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 501k homes (estimated). It ranks #92 of 216 South Korea power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 823,300 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 192k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 31.1% of South Korea's electricity; the national grid averages 417 gCO₂/kWh (40.0% low-carbon) (2025).

400Legacy source-record capacity
500,571homes powered (est.)
823,300t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000205.

Data status

Known data

FacilityYeongnam WRI
CountrySouth Korea · Ulsan WRI
Coordinates35.5141, 129.3835 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity400 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKorea Southern Power WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyMitsubishi Power: M501J WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions823,300 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#92 of 216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#19 of 34 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 400 MW median · 34 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent500,571 calculated
Climate14.4°C · HDD 1,925 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 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 400 MW, Yeongnam is around the median coal plant in South Korea (400 MW). Technically it is described as Mitsubishi Power: M501J. 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.

~823,300 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

192kpassenger cars driven for a year
107khomes' yearly energy use
14 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 South Korea

Dangjin: 6,040 MW6kDangjinTaean: 5,946 MW6kTaeanYeongheung: 5,080 MW5kYeongheungBoryeong (poryang): 4,400 MW4kBoryeong (…Hadong: 4,000 MW4kHadongSamcheonpo: 3,240 MW3kSamcheonpoGoseong Green power station: 2,080 MW2kGoseong Gr…Anin power station: 2,080 MW2kAnin power…

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

Owner

Operated by Korea Southern Power. 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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.4°Cannual mean temp
1,925heating degree-days (base 18°C)
626cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
28 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 17 °CON: 11 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 22% 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: 42/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
22.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
8 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 #19 largest coal power plant of 34 in South Korea by capacity.

South Korea has 34 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 46,928 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.5141, 129.3835 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Yeongnam?

Yeongnam is a 400 MW source-record coal power plant in Ulsan, South Korea, commissioned in 2018.

How many homes can Yeongnam power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 500,571 homes (estimated).

Who operates Yeongnam?

Yeongnam is operated by Korea Southern Power.

How much CO₂ does Yeongnam emit?

Yeongnam has modelled emissions of about 823,300 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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