Heyden power station is a 875 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by E.On Kraftwerke GmbH. Based on reported annual generation of 2,222 GWh, it can supply roughly 635k homes. It ranks #50 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1987, it is around 39 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,049,091 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 245k 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005765.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 875 MW, Heyden power station is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 MW). Technically it is described as 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.
1,049,091 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
- Load factor
- 29%, from 2,222 GWh of reported generation; the median for 42 coal plants in Germany that report generation is 47%
- Generation trend
- 3,091 GWh in 2015 and 2,222 GWh in 2017 (−28%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2016: 3,369 GWh; 2017: 2,222 GWh
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 1.3% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 67 of 117 dated coal plants in Germany are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by E.On Kraftwerke GmbH. All plants by this company →
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 52.4°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 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: 65/100 — 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
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 #26 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
- Robert Frank power station · Gas · 508 MW · Niedersachsen
- Veltheim power station · Coal · 520 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Landesbergen Biomasse · Biomass · 20 MW · Lower Saxony
- Sigmundshall · Gas · 19 MW · Lower Saxony
- KW Kirchlengern · Gas · 201.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Afferde power station · Coal · 119 MW · Lower Saxony
Location
Coordinates 52.3828, 8.996 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Heyden power station?
Heyden power station is a 875 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1987.
How much electricity does Heyden power station generate?
Heyden power station generates about 2,222 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Heyden power station?
Heyden power station is operated by E.On Kraftwerke GmbH.
How much CO₂ does Heyden power station emit?
Heyden power station has measured emissions of about 1,049,091 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).