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GKS

Waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany. Approximate location 50.0297, 10.224.

WasteBavariaGermanyCO₂ measured

GKS is a 24 MW waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany. It is operated by GKS Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Schweinfurt GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 34k homes (estimated). It ranks #512 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 78,989 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 18k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

24Legacy source-record capacity
33,588homes powered (est.)
78,989t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005700.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGKS WRI
CountryGermany · Bavaria WRI
Coordinates50.0297, 10.224 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity24 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGKS Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Schweinfurt GmbH WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI
CO₂ emissions78,989 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#512 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#28 of 68 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.08× · 22 MW median · 68 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent33,588 calculated
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,278 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot 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 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 24 MW, GKS is around 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.

78,989 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

18kpassenger cars driven for a year
10khomes' yearly energy use
1.3 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 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 GKS Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Schweinfurt 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 50.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,278heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
229 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 4 °CND: 2 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% 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: 70/100 — 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

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)
25/100environmental-severity index
18.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
432 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 #28 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 50.0297, 10.224 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is GKS?

GKS is a 24 MW source-record waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1994.

How many homes can GKS power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 33,588 homes (estimated).

Who operates GKS?

GKS is operated by GKS Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Schweinfurt GmbH.

How much CO₂ does GKS emit?

GKS has measured emissions of about 78,989 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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