Hohenwarte is a 320 MW hydro power station in Thuringia, Germany. It is operated by Vattenfall Europe Generation AG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 320k homes (estimated). It ranks #120 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 3.9% 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 WRI1005828.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 320 MW for Hohenwarte II hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601729; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 320 MW, Hohenwarte is well above the median hydro plant in Germany (24 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Germany hydro capacity
- 3.2% of 9,981 MW across 112 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 68 of 110 dated hydro 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 hydro plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Vattenfall Europe Generation AG. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.6°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 56% 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: 82/100 — this site sits in the top 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 #7 largest hydro power plant of 112 in Germany by capacity.
Germany has 112 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,981 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- HKW Schwarza · Gas · 26.5 MW · Thuringia
- Biomass Generator #10 · Biomass · 12.9 MW · Thuringia
- Bleiloch · Hydro · 79.8 MW · Thuringia
- Schleiz Solar Power Plant · Solar · 11.2 MW · Thuringia
- Rosenthal Mill power station · Biomass · 57 MW · Thuringia
- HKW Jena · Gas · 182 MW · Thuringia
Location
Coordinates 50.6038, 11.4752 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Hohenwarte?
Hohenwarte is a 320 MW hydro power plant in Thuringia, Germany, commissioned in 1966.
Who operates Hohenwarte?
Hohenwarte is operated by Vattenfall Europe Generation AG.