A two-dimensional numerical model is proposed to simulate the thermal discharge from a power plant in Jiangsu Province. The equations in the model consist of two-dimensional non-steady shallow water equations and thermal waste transport equations. Finite volume method (FVM) is used to discretize the shallow water equations, and flux difference splitting (FDS) scheme is applied. The calculated area with the same temperature increment shows the effect of thermal discharge on sea water. A comparison between simulated results and the experimental data shows good agreement. It indicates that this method can give high precision in the heat transfer simulation in coastal areas.