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Chemiepark Marl power station

Coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 51.696393, 7.093964.

CoalNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanysubcriticalCO₂ modelled

Chemiepark Marl power station is a 136 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Infracor GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 170k homes (estimated). It ranks #194 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 344,350 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 80k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 20.6% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

136Source-backed capacity
170,194homes powered (est.)
344,350t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1075564.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChemiepark Marl power station WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates51.696393, 7.093964 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity136 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerInfracor GmbH WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions344,350 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#194 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#74 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.46× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent170,194 calculated
Climate9.9°C · HDD 2,932 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000101928); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 136 MW, Chemiepark Marl power station is below the median coal plant in Germany (296 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.

~344,350 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

80kpassenger cars driven for a year
45khomes' yearly energy use
5.7 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Germany

Niederaussem power station: 3,430 MW3kNiederauss…Janschwalde power station: 3,000 MW3kJanschwald…Boxberg power station: 2,582 MW3kBoxberg po…GKM (Mannheim) power station: 2,147 MW2kGKM (Mannh…BoA 2: 2,100 MW2kBoA 2Neurath power station: 2,068 MW2kNeurath po…Brunsbuettel SWS power station: 1,820 MW2kBrunsbuett…Weisweiler power station: 1,800 MW2kWeisweiler…

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

Owner

Operated by Infracor GmbH.

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 51.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
2,932heating degree-days (base 18°C)
8cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
76 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 61/100 — 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)
24/100environmental-severity index
15.9°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 #74 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

Location

Coordinates 51.696393, 7.093964 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Chemiepark Marl power station?

Chemiepark Marl power station is a 136 MW source-record coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1974.

How many homes can Chemiepark Marl power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 170,194 homes (estimated).

Who operates Chemiepark Marl power station?

Chemiepark Marl power station is operated by Infracor GmbH.

How much CO₂ does Chemiepark Marl power station emit?

Chemiepark Marl power station has modelled emissions of about 344,350 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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