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AVR Reactor nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 50.9026, 6.4208.

NuclearNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanyPebble bed reactor prototypehigh temperature gas reactor

AVR Reactor nuclear power plant is a 15 MW nuclear power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 34k homes (estimated). It ranks #682 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 0.0% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

15MW installed capacity
6construction time (1961→1967)
33,788homes powered (est.)
1969commissioned (~57 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_nuc_avrreactor_germa.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAVR Reactor nuclear power plant GEM-nuclear
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia GEM-nuclear
Coordinates50.9026, 6.4208 GEM-nuclear
FuelNuclear GEM-nuclear
MW installed capacity15 MW GEM GNPT; source record
OwnerArbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH [100%] GEM-nuclear
Commissioned1969 GEM-nuclear
Technologyhigh temperature gas reactor GEM-nuclear

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#682 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#25 / 25 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.01× · 1,302 MW · n=25 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent33,788 calculated
Climate9.4°C · HDD 3,135 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 23/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GNPT; fuel: GEM GNPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 15 MW, AVR Reactor nuclear power plant is below the median nuclear plant in Germany (1,302 MW). Technically it is described as high temperature gas reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Germany

Stendal nuclear power plant: 4,000 MW4kStendal nu…Kernkraft Gundremmingen: 2,572 MW3kKernkraft …Biblis nuclear power plant: 2,525 MW3kBiblis nuc…ISAR-2: 1,485 MW1kISAR-2BROKDORF: 1,480 MW1kBROKDORFPHILIPPSBURG-2: 1,468 MW1kPHILIPPSBU…Grohnde: 1,430 MW1kGrohndeUnterweser nuclear power plant: 1,410 MW1kUnterweser…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.4°Cannual mean temp
3,135heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
240 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 28% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 66/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
23/100environmental-severity index
15.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
153 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #25 largest nuclear power plant of 25 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 25 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 26,511 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.9026, 6.4208 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is AVR Reactor nuclear power plant?

AVR Reactor nuclear power plant is a 15 MW nuclear power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1969.

How many homes can AVR Reactor nuclear power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 33,788 homes (estimated).

Who operates AVR Reactor nuclear power plant?

AVR Reactor nuclear power plant is operated by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor GmbH [100%].

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