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Bochum

Gas power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 51.4833, 7.2167.

GasNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanyCO₂ measured

Bochum is a 21 MW gas power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE Generation SE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 23k homes (estimated). It ranks #562 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2004, it is around 22 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 62,794 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 15k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

21Legacy source-record capacity
23,314homes powered (est.)
62,794t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
2004commissioned (~22 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005615.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBochum WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates51.4833, 7.2167 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity21 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRWE Generation SE WRI
Commissioned2004 WRI
CO₂ emissions62,794 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#562 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#190 of 241 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.39× · 53 MW median · 241 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent23,314 calculated
Climate9.6°C · HDD 3,062 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 21 MW, Bochum is below the median gas plant in Germany (53 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

62,794 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

15kpassenger cars driven for a year
8.2khomes' yearly energy use
1.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Germany

Gersteinwerk: 2,004 MW2kGersteinwe…Emsland: 1,837 MW2kEmslandGemeinschaftskraftwerk Irsching: 1,391 MW1kGemeinscha…Knapsack Natural Gas I: 1,252 MW1kKnapsack N…Gundelfingen Reserve power station: 1,200 MW1kGundelfing…RWE Burghausen power station: 950 MW950RWE Burgha…Bexbach-C power station: 900 MW900Bexbach-C …Leipheim power station: 869 MW869Leipheim p…

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

Owner

Operated by RWE Generation SE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.6°Cannual mean temp
3,062heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
144 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 3 °CD18 °C

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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
24/100environmental-severity index
15.6°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 #190 largest gas power plant of 241 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 241 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,245 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.4833, 7.2167 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Bochum?

Bochum is a 21 MW source-record gas power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 2004.

How many homes can Bochum power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 23,314 homes (estimated).

Who operates Bochum?

Bochum is operated by RWE Generation SE.

How much CO₂ does Bochum emit?

Bochum has measured emissions of about 62,794 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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