Home / Europe / Germany / EBKW Knapsack

EBKW Knapsack

Waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 50.8577, 6.8502.

WasteNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermany

EBKW Knapsack is a 33 MW waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by EBS - Kraftwerks GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 46k homes (estimated). It ranks #433 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. In context, the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

33Source-backed capacity
45,977homes powered (est.)
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005643.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEBKW Knapsack WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates50.8577, 6.8502 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity33 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEBS - Kraftwerks GmbH WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#433 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#16 of 68 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.48× · 22 MW median · 68 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent45,977 calculated
Climate10.1°C · HDD 2,892 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 L100000400196); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 33 MW, EBKW Knapsack is well above the median waste plant in Germany (22 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest waste plants in Germany

ZMS Schwandorf power station: 76 MW76ZMS Schwan…MHKW Frankfurt: 72 MW72MHKW Frank…GMVA Niederrhein: 62 MW62GMVA Niede…MHKW Rothensee: 58 MW58MHKW Rothe…Müllkraftwerk Schwandorf: 54 MW54Müllkraftw…DT: 54 MW54DTRMVA Köln: 45 MW45RMVA KölnHKW Mannheim: 45 MW45HKW Mannhe…

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

Owner

Operated by EBS - Kraftwerks GmbH.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.1°Cannual mean temp
2,892heating degree-days (base 18°C)
7cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
125 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 18% 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: 59/100 — 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
15.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
163 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 #16 largest waste power plant of 68 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 68 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 1,698 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.8577, 6.8502 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EBKW Knapsack?

EBKW Knapsack is a 33 MW source-record waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 2008.

How many homes can EBKW Knapsack power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 45,977 homes (estimated).

Who operates EBKW Knapsack?

EBKW Knapsack is operated by EBS - Kraftwerks GmbH.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.