BMKW Bergkamen is a 17.7 MW biomass power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 24k homes (estimated). It ranks #635 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 807,615 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 188k cars driven for a year. In context, biomass supplies about 10.1% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005610.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 17.7 MW, BMKW Bergkamen is below the median biomass plant in Germany (19.7 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
807,615 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).
Key facts
- Share of Germany biomass capacity
- 0.7% of 2,477 MW across 73 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 30 of 49 dated biomass plants in Germany are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH.
Local climate & thermal context
This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 25% 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: 64/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #46 largest biomass power plant of 73 in Germany by capacity.
Germany has 73 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 2,477 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Bergkamen power station · Coal · 717 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Gersteinwerk · Gas · 2,004.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- BMK Lünen · Biomass · 20 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- MVA Hamm · Waste · 14.6 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Trianel Kohlekraftwerk Lünen · Coal · 746 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Lünen power station (KSBG) · Coal · 473 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 51.637, 7.6188 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is BMKW Bergkamen?
BMKW Bergkamen is a 17.7 MW biomass power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 2005.
Who operates BMKW Bergkamen?
BMKW Bergkamen is operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH.
How much CO₂ does BMKW Bergkamen emit?
BMKW Bergkamen has measured emissions of about 807,615 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).