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Convert Megawatts to Watts

1 megawatt is 1,000,000 W. One megawatt is exactly 1000000 watts.

One megawatt is 1000000 watts. To convert megawatts to watts, multiply by 1000000; to go the other way, divide by 1000000 or multiply by 1.0000 × 10^-6. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A million watts.

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Watts
1,000,000 W
Megawatts × 1000000
value * 10000001,000,000 W

1 megawatt in every power unit

UnitValueExact factor
horsepower1,341.02209 hp× 1,341.0220896
metric horsepower1,359.621617 PS× 1,359.6216173
watts1,000,000 W× 1,000,000
kilowatts1,000 kW× 1,000
megawatts (as entered)1 MW
BTU per hour3,412,141.633 BTU/h× 3,412,141.63313

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

How do you convert megawatts to watts?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in megawatts.
  2. 2.Multiply by 1000000 — that is how many watts fit in one megawatt.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 1000000, or multiply by 1.0000 × 10^-6.

Worked example: 25 megawatts to watts

Formula
MW × 1000000 = W
Arithmetic
25 × 1000000 = 25,000,000 W
Answer
25 MW = 25,000,000 W

The factor is exact, so this figure is exact too — only the display is rounded.

Megawatts to watts conversion table

MegawattsWatts
1 MW1,000,000 W
2 MW2,000,000 W
3 MW3,000,000 W
4 MW4,000,000 W
5 MW5,000,000 W
6 MW6,000,000 W
7 MW7,000,000 W
8 MW8,000,000 W
9 MW9,000,000 W
10 MW10,000,000 W
12 MW12,000,000 W
15 MW15,000,000 W
20 MW20,000,000 W
25 MW25,000,000 W
50 MW50,000,000 W
100 MW100,000,000 W
200 MW200,000,000 W
300 MW300,000,000 W
500 MW500,000,000 W
1000 MW1,000,000,000 W
2000 MW2,000,000,000 W
5000 MW5,000,000,000 W
10000 MW10,000,000,000 W

What is a megawatt?

A million watts. Generating plant and grid capacity are quoted in it: one megawatt runs roughly 750 homes in the US at average draw.

What is a watt?

The SI unit: one joule every second. A watt is a rate, not an amount, which is the distinction between it and the watt-hour on your electricity bill.

How many watts are in a megawatt?

One megawatt is 1000000 watts, exactly. Going the other way, one watt is 1.0000 × 10^-6 megawatts. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.

Every power unit here

UnitSymbolOne of these is
Horsepowerhp745.69987 watt
Metric horsepowerPS735.49875 watt
WattsWthe base unit
KilowattskW1000 watt
MegawattsMW1000000 watt
BTU per hourBTU/h0.29307107 watt

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — mechanical horsepower is 550 ft·lbf/s exactly

Questions people actually ask

How many watts are in a megawatt?
1000000. The SI unit: one joule every second. A watt is a rate, not an amount, which is the distinction between it and the watt-hour on your electricity bill.
How do I convert watts back to megawatts?
Divide by 1000000, or multiply by 1.0000 × 10^-6 — they are the same operation.

Other power conversions

Watts to megawatts — the same conversion the other way.