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G-Kraftwerk

Coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 51.3689, 6.6541.

CoalNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanysubcriticalCO₂ measured

G-Kraftwerk is a 103 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 129k homes (estimated). It ranks #240 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1962, it is around 64 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 431,940 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 101k 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).

103Legacy source-record capacity
128,897homes powered (est.)
431,940t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1962commissioned (~64 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005686.

Data status

Known data

FacilityG-Kraftwerk WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates51.3689, 6.6541 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity103 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCurrenta GmbH & Co. OHG WRI
Commissioned1962 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
CO₂ emissions431,940 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#240 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#82 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.35× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent128,897 calculated
Climate10.8°C · HDD 2,669 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 29/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 103 MW, G-Kraftwerk is below the median coal plant in Germany (296 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.

431,940 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

101kpassenger cars driven for a year
56khomes' yearly energy use
7.2 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).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Germany

Niederaussem power station: 3,430 MW3kNiederauss…Janschwalde power station: 3,000 MW3kJanschwald…Boxberg power station: 2,582 MW3kBoxberg po…GKM (Mannheim) power station: 2,147 MW2kGKM (Mannh…BoA 2: 2,100 MW2kBoA 2Neurath power station: 2,068 MW2kNeurath po…Brunsbuettel SWS power station: 1,820 MW2kBrunsbuett…Weisweiler power station: 1,800 MW2kWeisweiler…

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

Owner

Operated by Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG.

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 51.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.8°Cannual mean temp
2,669heating degree-days (base 18°C)
56cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
34 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 11 °CON: 7 °CND: 4 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 9% 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: 54/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
29/100environmental-severity index
15.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
121 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 #82 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

Location

Coordinates 51.3689, 6.6541 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is G-Kraftwerk?

G-Kraftwerk is a 103 MW source-record coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1962.

How many homes can G-Kraftwerk power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 128,897 homes (estimated).

Who operates G-Kraftwerk?

G-Kraftwerk is operated by Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG.

How much CO₂ does G-Kraftwerk emit?

G-Kraftwerk has measured emissions of about 431,940 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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