How to read a power-plant inventory without overclaiming
Interpret plant records, source dates, missing values and map coordinates, and understand why no global station map is a complete live register.
By Power Stations Worldwide · Reviewed 28 September 2026 · Editorial approach
Is a global power-plant map a complete live register?
No. This atlas combines a historical global baseline with additional sourced inventories and selected official plant facts. Coverage and observation dates differ. The WRI baseline explicitly states that it is not currently maintained, so a mapped record must not be presented as proof of a station’s present operating condition.
Why are some known power stations missing?
The imported sources may omit them, use a reporting threshold, cover only particular technologies or lack a usable location. A blank country or sparse map is a coverage gap, not proof that no generation exists. Consult the country coverage notes and official operator links before drawing conclusions from absence.
Atlas context: Data coverage and methodology
Does one map marker always represent one power plant?
No. Reporting units differ: records may describe generators, installations, phases or whole complexes. WRI documents the challenge of combining plant-level and unit-level information. Read the source and technology notes before turning a record count into a count of distinct physical sites.
Why can two sources report different capacities?
They may describe different units, dates, stages or rating definitions. Check those dimensions before deciding one source is wrong. A defensible comparison keeps both values attached to their definitions and selects the figure appropriate to the question, rather than choosing the larger number or averaging incompatible ratings.
Sources: EIA: Capacity definitions
What does a missing value mean?
It means the relevant field is unavailable in the imported record. Missing capacity is not zero capacity; an unknown owner is not an ownerless asset. This atlas keeps those states visible. Calculations should disclose which records were excluded rather than silently replacing unknown values with zeros.
Atlas context: Data coverage and methodology
How precise are power-plant map coordinates?
Precision varies with the underlying source. A point can identify a complex approximately without locating every building or generating unit. Check location notes and coordinate provenance. The map is for geographic exploration, not surveying, access planning or determining a property boundary from a displayed marker.
Atlas context: Data coverage and methodology
Why does the atlas preserve source record identifiers?
Identifiers help connect a displayed row to its origin and distinguish similarly named facilities. WRI assigns reference IDs as part of its data integration process. Keep the identifier when investigating a correction, together with the country, source URL and observation date, rather than relying on the plant name alone.
How should I verify a surprising plant record?
Open its source reference and check name, technology, rated unit, location and reporting date against the same asset. For ownership or operational changes, seek an explicit newer official statement. Record the conflicting facts separately until their reporting boundaries are clear; a search-result headline alone is insufficient evidence.
Atlas context: Data coverage and methodology
Textbook references
The science on this page follows these standard engineering textbooks. See the full bibliography.
- Power System Analysis and DesignHow generators, units and substations fit into a power system.