Cologne-Merkenich power station is a 75.3 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Stadtwerke Köln GmbH (100% City of Cologne). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 94k homes (estimated). It ranks #300 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 279,642 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 65k 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005800.
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 75.3 MW, Cologne-Merkenich power station is below the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 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.
279,642 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 coal capacity
- 0.1% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 104 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 Stadtwerke Köln GmbH (100% City of Cologne).
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 51.0°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 14% 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: 57/100 — 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 #91 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
- HKW Merkenich (Natural Gas) · Gas · 108 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- HKW Merkenich · Gas · 15.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Waste Incinerator #1 · Waste · 11.6 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- X-Kraftwerk · Gas · 27 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- RMVA Köln · Waste · 45.1 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- HKW Niehl 2 · Gas · 413 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 51.0178, 6.9643 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Cologne-Merkenich power station?
Cologne-Merkenich power station is a 75.3 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 2010.
Who operates Cologne-Merkenich power station?
Cologne-Merkenich power station is operated by Stadtwerke Köln GmbH (100% City of Cologne).
How much CO₂ does Cologne-Merkenich power station emit?
Cologne-Merkenich power station has measured emissions of about 279,642 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).