This is a list of least carbon efficient power stations in selected countries. Lists were created by the WWF and lists the most polluting power stations in terms of the level of carbon dioxide produced per unit of electricity generated. In general lignite burning coal-fired power stations with subcritical boilers (in which bubbles form in contrast to the newer supercritical steam generator) emit the most.[1] [2] The Chinese national carbon trading scheme may follow the European Union Emission Trading Scheme in making such power stations uneconomic to run.[3] [4] However some companies such as NLC India Limited and Electricity Generation Company (Turkey) generate in countries without a carbon price. Lignite power stations built or retrofitted before 1995 often also emit local air pollution.[5] [6] [7] In early 2021 the EU carbon price rose above 50 euros per tonne, causing many of the European plants listed below to become unprofitable,[8] and close down.[9] However, because many countries outside Europe and the USA do not publish plant level emissions data it was difficult to make up to date lists. Public information from space-based measurements of carbon dioxide by Climate Trace is expected to quantify from individual large plants before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference,[10] thus enabling large polluters to be identified.[11]
In 2015 the Stranded Assets Programme at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment published Stranded Assets and Subcritical Coal report analyzing inter alia carbon intensity of subcritical coal-fired power stations of 100 largest companies having these power stations.[12]
| intensity (kg/kWh) | Company | Country | Number of SCPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.447 | NLC India Limited | 2 | ||
| 1.342 | Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited | 3 | ||
| 1.279 | GDF Suez | 10 | ||
| 1.277 | Kazakhmys | 4 | ||
| 1.269 | West Bengal Power Development Corporation | 5 | ||
| 1.253 | OGK-2 | 4 | ||
| 1.243 | Maharashtra State Power Generation Company | 7 | ||
| 1.240 | Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand | 4 | ||
| 1.226 | Termoelectrica | 17 | ||
| 1.222 | RAO UES | 23 | ||
| 1.220 | ČEZ Group | 13 |
| intensity (kg/kWh) | Power station | Country | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.58 | Hazelwood Power Station, Victoria | closed in 2017 | ||
| 1.56 | Edwardsport IGCC, Edwardsport, Indiana | closed in 2012 | ||
| 1.27 | Frimmersdorf power plant, Grevenbroich | closed in 2017 | ||
| 1.25 | HR Milner Generating Station, Grande Cache, Alberta, | converted to gas in 2020 | ||
| 1.18 | Emilio Portes Gil, Río Bravo | |||
| 1.09 | Bełchatów Power Station, Bełchatów | |||
| 1.07 | Prunéřov Power Station, Kadaň | partially closed | ||
| 1.02 | , Niihama |
| intensity (kg/kWh) | Power Station, Location | Country | Fuel | Emissions (Mt) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.350 | 12.4 | ||||
| 1.250 | 8.8 | ||||
| 1.200 | 27.4 | ||||
| 1.200 | 23.7 | ||||
| 1.187 | 19.3 | ||||
| 1.180 | 18.8 | ||||
| 1.150 | 17.9 | ||||
| 1.150 | 13.0 | ||||
| 1.150 | 9.1 | ||||
| 1.100 | 15.5 | ||||
| 1.090 | 30.1 | ||||
| 1.070 | 8.9 | ||||
| 1.050 | 8.7 | ||||
| 1.000 | 12.2 |
The table lists the largest emitters, regardless of their carbon efficiency.[15]
| intensity (kg/kWh) | Power Station | Country | 2018 emissions (Mt) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 | 38 | |||
| 1.5 | Vindhyachal | 34 | ||
| 1.5 | Dangjin | 34 | ||
| 1.5 | Taean | 31 | ||
| 1.3 | Taichung | 30 | ||
| 1.5 | Tuoketuo | 30 | ||
| 1.5 | Niederaussem | 27 | ||
| 1.4 | Sasan | 27 | ||
| 1.5 | Yonghungdo | 27 | ||
| 1.4 | Hekinan | 27 |
At over 1.34 tCO2-e/MWh Yallourn is the most carbon intense in Australia.[16]
In the very unlikely event of being built, the proposed Afşin-Elbistan C power station would become the least carbon efficient coal-fired power station.