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Heilbronn power station

Coal power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Approximate location 49.1773, 9.2063.

CoalBaden-WuerttembergGermanyGE Power: 9HA.01, GE Power: STF-D650subcriticalCO₂ measured

Heilbronn power station is a 1,066 MW coal power station in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is operated by Energie Baden-Württemberg. Based on reported annual generation of 2,389 GWh, it can supply roughly 683k homes. It ranks #38 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 425,288 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 99k 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).

1,066Source-backed capacity
2,389GWh reported / yr
682,542homes powered
425,288t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1977commissioned (~49 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005747.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHeilbronn power station WRI
CountryGermany · Baden-Wuerttemberg WRI
Coordinates49.1773, 9.2063 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,066 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnergie Baden-Württemberg WRI
Commissioned1977 WRI
Technologysubcritical · GE Power: 9HA.01, GE Power: STF-D650 WRI
GWh reported / yr2,389 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions425,288 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#38 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#19 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.60× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent682,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.6°C · HDD 3,070 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,066 MW for Heilbronn power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000101875); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,066 MW, Heilbronn power station is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296 MW). Technically it is described as GE Power: 9HA.01, GE Power: STF-D650; 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.

425,288 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

99kpassenger cars driven for a year
55khomes' yearly energy use
7.1 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: 3,219 GWh20152016: 2,390 GWh20162017: 2,389 GWh20173k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Energie Baden-Württemberg.

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 49.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.6°Cannual mean temp
3,070heating degree-days (base 18°C)
24cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
248 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 25% 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: 64/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
17.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
477 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 #19 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 49.1773, 9.2063 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Heilbronn power station?

Heilbronn power station is a 1,066 MW source-record coal power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, commissioned in 1977.

How much electricity does Heilbronn power station generate?

Heilbronn power station generates about 2,389 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Heilbronn power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 682,542 homes.

Who operates Heilbronn power station?

Heilbronn power station is operated by Energie Baden-Württemberg.

How much CO₂ does Heilbronn power station emit?

Heilbronn power station has measured emissions of about 425,288 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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