Centrale Merwedekanaal — Netherlands
Gas power plant in Utrecht, Netherlands. Approximate location 52.1017, 5.0794.
GasUtrechtNetherlandsCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured
Centrale Merwedekanaal is a 224 MW gas power station in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is operated by TenneT. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 252k homes (estimated). It ranks #28 of 119 Netherlands power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 325,208 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 76k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 34.9% of Netherlands's electricity; the national grid averages 254 gCO₂/kWh (54.2% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005499.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000400546; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 224 MW, Centrale Merwedekanaal is well above the median gas plant in Netherlands (120 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.
325,208 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 Netherlands gas capacity
- 1.5% of 14,954 MW across 42 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 12 of 36 dated gas plants in Netherlands are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest gas plants in Netherlands
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by TenneT.
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 52.1°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 21% 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: 62/100 — 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
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 #19 largest gas power plant of 42 in Netherlands by capacity.
Netherlands has 42 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 14,954 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Flexpowernet Strijkviertel power station · Gas · 60 MW · Utrecht
- Lopik · Wind · 6 MW · Utrecht
- Culemborg · Wind · 6 MW · Gelderland
- Diemen 33 · Gas · 684 MW · North Holland
- Schiphol power station · Oil · 107 MW · North Holland
- Groene Hoek · Solar · 15 MW · North Holland
Location
Coordinates 52.1017, 5.0794 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Centrale Merwedekanaal?
Centrale Merwedekanaal is a 224 MW gas power plant in Utrecht, Netherlands, commissioned in 1995.
Who operates Centrale Merwedekanaal?
Centrale Merwedekanaal is operated by TenneT.
How much CO₂ does Centrale Merwedekanaal emit?
Centrale Merwedekanaal has measured emissions of about 325,208 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).