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Hermann Wenzel power station

Gas power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 51.4597, 6.7306.

GasNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanySteamCO₂ modelled

Hermann Wenzel power station is a 342 MW gas power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by thyssenkrupp AG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 385k homes (estimated). It ranks #111 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1955, it is around 71 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 536,110 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 125k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

342Source-backed capacity
385,189homes powered (est.)
536,110t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1955commissioned (~71 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-13.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHermann Wenzel power station Climate TRACE
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia Climate TRACE
Coordinates51.4597, 6.7306 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity342 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
Ownerthyssenkrupp AG Climate TRACE
Commissioned1955 Climate TRACE
TechnologySteam Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions536,110 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#111 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#30 of 241 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.47× · 53 MW median · 241 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent385,189 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/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 L100000408781); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 342 MW, Hermann Wenzel power station is well above the median gas plant in Germany (53 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~536,110 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

125kpassenger cars driven for a year
70khomes' yearly energy use
8.9 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Germany

Gersteinwerk: 2,004 MW2kGersteinwe…Emsland: 1,837 MW2kEmslandGemeinschaftskraftwerk Irsching: 1,391 MW1kGemeinscha…Knapsack Natural Gas I: 1,252 MW1kKnapsack N…Gundelfingen Reserve power station: 1,200 MW1kGundelfing…RWE Burghausen power station: 950 MW950RWE Burgha…Bexbach-C power station: 900 MW900Bexbach-C …Leipheim power station: 869 MW869Leipheim p…

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

Owner

Operated by thyssenkrupp AG.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.5°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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 #30 largest gas power plant of 241 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 241 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,245 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.4597, 6.7306 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hermann Wenzel power station?

Hermann Wenzel power station is a 342 MW source-record gas power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1955.

How many homes can Hermann Wenzel power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 385,189 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hermann Wenzel power station?

Hermann Wenzel power station is operated by thyssenkrupp AG.

How much CO₂ does Hermann Wenzel power station emit?

Hermann Wenzel power station has modelled emissions of about 536,110 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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