GKS is a 24.4 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005700.
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: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 24.4 MW, GKS is around the median waste plant in Germany (22.5 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:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).
Key facts
- Share of Germany waste capacity
- 1.4% of 1,698 MW across 68 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 17 of 60 dated waste 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 waste plants in Germany
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.
Monthly mean temperature
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
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 #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
- Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 1,345 MW · Bavaria
- Bergrheinfeld - S&Z Solar Power Plant · Solar · 2.4 MW · Bavaria
- Alitzheim Solar Power Plant · Solar · 8.5 MW · Bavaria
- Püssensheim Solar Power Plant · Solar · 5.5 MW · Bavaria
- Thundorf Solar Power Plant · Solar · 2.1 MW · Bavaria
- Schwarzach am Main · Solar · 6.1 MW · Bavaria
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 24.4 MW waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1994.
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)).