Karnap is a 38 MW waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE Generation SE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 52k homes (estimated). It ranks #401 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1987, it is around 39 years old — long-established. In context, the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005854.
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 38 MW, Karnap is well above the median waste plant in Germany (22.5 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Germany waste capacity
- 2.2% of 1,698 MW across 68 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 11 of 60 dated waste 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 waste plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by RWE Generation SE. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. 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.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 60/100 — 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 #10 largest waste power plant of 68 in Germany by capacity.
Germany has 68 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 1,698 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Scholven power station · Coal · 878 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Buer power station · Coal · 70 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- HKW 1 · Gas · 23.1 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- HKW 2 · Gas · 24.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Westerholt power station · Coal · 300 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- GMVA Niederrhein · Waste · 61.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 51.5154, 6.9938 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Karnap?
Karnap is a 38 MW waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1987.
Who operates Karnap?
Karnap is operated by RWE Generation SE.