Franken power station is a 412 MW coal power station in Bavaria, Germany. It is operated by Bayernwerk AG [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 516k homes (estimated). It ranks #98 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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 GEM_coa_franken_germa.
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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 412 MW, Franken power station is well above 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.
Key facts
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 0.6% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 13 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 Bayernwerk AG [100%].
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 49.4°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 34% 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: 71/100 — 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 #49 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
- Franken 1 · Gas · 835 MW · Bavaria
- HKW Sandreuth · Waste · 18 MW · Bavaria
- HKW Sandreuth · Gas · 150 MW · Bavaria
- Natural Gas Turbine #7 · Gas · 18.6 MW · Bavaria
- Buchschwabach I · Solar · 4.5 MW · Bavaria
- Müncherlbach · Solar · 4.4 MW · Bavaria
Location
Coordinates 49.4208, 11.0077 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Franken power station?
Franken power station is a 412 MW coal power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1966.
Who operates Franken power station?
Franken power station is operated by Bayernwerk AG [100%].