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Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1

Waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 50.7338, 7.0805.

WasteNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanyCO₂ measured

Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 is a 12 MW waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Energie- und Wasserversorgung Bonn/Rhein-Sieg GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 17k homes (estimated). It ranks #758 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 78,960 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).

12Legacy source-record capacity
16,518homes powered (est.)
78,960t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005748.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHeizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates50.7338, 7.0805 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity12 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnergie- und Wasserversorgung Bonn/Rhein-Sieg GmbH WRI
Commissioned1991 WRI
CO₂ emissions78,960 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#758 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#54 of 68 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.53× · 22 MW median · 68 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent16,518 calculated
Climate9.4°C · HDD 3,109 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 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 12 MW, Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 is below 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.

78,960 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 Energie- und Wasserversorgung Bonn/Rhein-Sieg 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 50.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.4°Cannual mean temp
3,109heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
223 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 26% 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: 66/100 — 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)
24/100environmental-severity index
15.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
245 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 #54 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 50.7338, 7.0805 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1?

Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 is a 12 MW source-record waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1991.

How many homes can Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 16,518 homes (estimated).

Who operates Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1?

Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 is operated by Energie- und Wasserversorgung Bonn/Rhein-Sieg GmbH.

How much CO₂ does Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 emit?

Heizkraftwerk Karlstraße 1 has measured emissions of about 78,960 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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