# How much CO2 does a lignite power plant like those in Barmer emit per kWh?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/barmer-lignite-power-plant-co2-per-kwh

More than the grid average, because lignite carries more carbon per unit of energy and plants run at modest efficiency. Use the station's figure from the CEA CO2 database. A factory buying from the grid still uses the grid factor of 0.710, not the station's.

## Why lignite is higher

- IPCC default of about 101 kg CO2 per GJ for lignite, against about 95 for bituminous coal.
- High moisture lowers plant efficiency, so more fuel is burned per kWh.

## Where to find the station figure

The CEA CO2 Baseline Database lists emissions per kWh for each grid-connected station, including lignite plants. Use the latest version and note it.

## For your own Scope 2

Unless you have a dedicated supply line from the plant, your electricity comes from the grid, and the national grid factor of 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh applies.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel, electricity and production documents into dated, fingerprinted plant records, so the monthly intensity behind a figure can be traced to its source.

- [Lignite emission factor India](https://senseible.earth/answers/lignite-emission-factor-india)
- [CEA vs IEA grid factor](https://senseible.earth/answers/cea-vs-iea-grid-emission-factor-india)
- [DG set vs grid emissions](https://senseible.earth/answers/dg-set-emissions-per-kwh-vs-grid)

Sources: [CEA CO2 Baseline Database](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en), [IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance](https://ghgprotocol.org/scope-2-guidance)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.