Brunsbuettel SWS power station is a 1,820 MW coal power station in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is operated by SüdWestStrom Kraftwerk GmbH & Co KG [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #12 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 20.6% 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 GEM_coa_brunsbuettelsws_germa.
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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,820 MW, Brunsbuettel SWS power station is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 MW). Technically it is described as supercritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 2.8% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 108 of 117 dated coal 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 coal plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by SüdWestStrom Kraftwerk GmbH & Co KG [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 53.9°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 37% 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: 73/100 — this site sits in the top 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), 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 #7 largest coal power plant of 124 in Germany by capacity.
Germany has 124 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 64,920 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Brunsbuettel nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 806 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
- Brunsbüttel · Oil · 254 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
- Brunsbuettel GDF Suez power station · Coal · 800 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
- Brunsbuettel GETEC power station · Coal · 800 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
- Büttel Solar Power Plant · Solar · 31.5 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
- Ecklak Solar Power Plant · Solar · 3.8 MW · Schleswig-Holstein
Location
Coordinates 53.891667, 9.201667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Brunsbuettel SWS power station?
Brunsbuettel SWS power station is a 1,820 MW coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, commissioned in 2012.
Who operates Brunsbuettel SWS power station?
Brunsbuettel SWS power station is operated by SüdWestStrom Kraftwerk GmbH & Co KG [100%].