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Emsland

Gas power plant in Lower Saxony, Germany. Approximate location 52.4819, 7.3067.

GasLower SaxonyGermanyOCGTPre ConstructionCO₂ measured

Emsland is a 1,837 MW gas power station in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is operated by RWE Generation SE. Based on reported annual generation of 4,307 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.2 million homes. It ranks #11 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 1,435,658 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 335k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

1,837Source-backed capacity
4,307GWh reported / yr
1,230,657homes powered
1,435,658t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005658.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEmsland WRI
CountryGermany · Lower Saxony WRI
Coordinates52.4819, 7.3067 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,837 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRWE Generation SE WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr4,307 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,435,658 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#11 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 241 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers34.73× · 53 MW median · 241 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,230,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.5°C · HDD 3,096 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 28/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 L100000400141); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,837 MW, Emsland is well above the median gas plant in Germany (53 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

1,435,658 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

335kpassenger cars driven for a year
187khomes' yearly energy use
24 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2015: 1,285 GWh20152016: 4,208 GWh20162017: 4,307 GWh20174k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by RWE Generation SE. All plants by this company →

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 52.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.5°Cannual mean temp
3,096heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
36 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 3 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 26% 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: 65/100 — 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

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
15.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
84 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 #2 largest gas power plant of 241 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 241 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,245 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 52.4819, 7.3067 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Emsland?

Emsland is a 1,837 MW source-record gas power plant in Lower Saxony, Germany.

How much electricity does Emsland generate?

Emsland generates about 4,307 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Emsland power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,230,657 homes.

Who operates Emsland?

Emsland is operated by RWE Generation SE.

How much CO₂ does Emsland emit?

Emsland has measured emissions of about 1,435,658 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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