Abstract: In order to determine the impact of a thermal power plant in Shanxi Province on the pollution of soil heavy metals in the surrounding farmland, 27 soil samples were collected and the contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in the samples were determined. The soil pollution was evaluated from the aspects of the characteristics of element contents, the correlation and the distribution in the surface layer. The results show that the average content of eight heavy metal elements were lower than GB 15618-2018 standard in the soil samples of the study area, but higher than the background value of Shanxi soil environment with the exceeding rate of 100%, 93%, 100%, 44%, 93%, 15%, 96% and 78%, respectively. The evaluation result of single factor pollution index method show that the farmland soil around the power plant were not polluted according to GB 15618-2018 standard, but the heavy metal elements in the farmland soil around the power plant were accumulated to a certain extent based on the background value of the soil environment in Shanxi Province. The evaluation result of the comprehensive pollution index method show that the farmland soil around the power plant was at the clean level on the basis of the soil environmental quality standard, but the content of heavy metals reached the moderate cumulative level around the power plant on the basis of Shanxi soil environmental background value. Evaluation results of surface soil comprehensive quality index method around power plant show that only one sample point in the south-central part was slightly polluted, and the rest of the sampling points were in a pollution-free state. In summary, the farmland soil around the power plant needs to take effective measures to avoid the continued accumulation of threats to the soil quality and crop production damage.