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Heyden power station

Coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 52.3828, 8.996.

CoalNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanysubcriticalCO₂ measured

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).

875Source-backed capacity
2,222GWh reported / yr
634,885homes powered
1,049,091t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1987commissioned (~39 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005765.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHeyden power station WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates52.3828, 8.996 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity875 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerE.On Kraftwerke GmbH WRI
Commissioned1987 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr2,222 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,049,091 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#50 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#26 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.95× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent634,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.5°C · HDD 3,090 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 875 MW, Heyden power station is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296 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:

245kpassenger cars driven for a year
137khomes' yearly energy use
17 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: 3,091 GWh20152016: 3,369 GWh20162017: 2,222 GWh20173k GWh

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.

9.5°Cannual mean temp
3,090heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
92 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: 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

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
16.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
160 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 #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

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 source-record 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.

How many homes can Heyden power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 634,885 homes.

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)).

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