Dessau power station is a 53 MW coal power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is operated by Kraftwerk Dessau GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 66k homes (estimated). It ranks #346 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 97,475 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 23k 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 WRI1005878.
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 · L100000101981; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 53 MW, Dessau power station is below the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 MW). 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.
97,475 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
- less than 0.1% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 91 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 Kraftwerk Dessau 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 51.8°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 31% 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: 69/100 — 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 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 #98 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
- Dessau · Solar · 4.9 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
- Chörau A · Solar · 4 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
- Oranienbaum · Solar · 8.2 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
- Vockerode Solar Power Plant · Solar · 9.6 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
- Gräfenhainichen I · Solar · 6 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
- Gräfenhainichen II · Solar · 8 MW · Saxony-Anhalt
Location
Coordinates 51.8269, 12.23 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Dessau power station?
Dessau power station is a 53 MW coal power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, commissioned in 1996.
Who operates Dessau power station?
Dessau power station is operated by Kraftwerk Dessau GmbH.
How much CO₂ does Dessau power station emit?
Dessau power station has measured emissions of about 97,475 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).