Influence of geographic setting on thermal discharge from coastal power plants

• Three power plants' thermal discharges distribution characteristics were analyzed in China.
• Coastal power plants' thermal discharge is closely related to the geographic setting.
• Temperature rise range of the plant, which is located in a bay, was the largest.
• Temperature rise range was the smallest when the plant is located in open sea.

Characteristics of thermal discharge from three coastal power plants were studied in China. The three plants, Zhuhai Power Plant, Chaozhou Power Plant and Huilai Power Plant, are located in estuary, bay and open sea, respectively. The water temperatures and ocean currents surrounding the outlet of the three power plants were monitored. The results show that the temperature rise became smaller as the spread of thermal discharge moved toward the open sea, which confirms the results of previous studies. The results also indicated that the influence range of thermal discharge from a coastal power plant is determined by geographic setting. The temperature rise range of the Chaozhou Plant, which is located in a bay, was the largest, followed by that of the Zhuhai Plant located in an estuary, and the temperature rise range of the Huilai Plant located in an open sea was the smallest.