HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas) is a 11.6 MW gas power plant in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is operated by SWK - Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 13k homes (estimated). It ranks #771 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% 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 WRI1005796.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 11.6 MW, HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas) is below the median gas plant in Germany (52.9 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.
Key facts
- Share of Germany gas capacity
- less than 0.1% of 37,245 MW across 241 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 56 of 221 dated gas plants in Germany are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest gas plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by SWK - Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern.
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 49.4°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 36% 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: 72/100 — this site sits in the top 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
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 #226 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
- HKW Karcherstr. (Coal) · Coal · 13.4 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
- Münchweiler Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.7 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
- Höheinöd Solar Power Plant · Solar · 2.1 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
- Rockenhausen Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.8 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
- MHKW Pirmasens · Waste · 15 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
- Hettenleidelheim Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.4 MW · Rheinland-Pfalz
Location
Coordinates 49.4347, 7.7602 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas)?
HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas) is a 11.6 MW gas power plant in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, commissioned in 1989.
Who operates HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas)?
HKW Karcherstr. (Natural Gas) is operated by SWK - Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern.