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Kiel power station

Coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Approximate location 54.3394, 10.1766.

CoalSchleswig-HolsteinGermanysupercriticalCO₂ measured

Kiel power station is a 323 MW coal power station in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is operated by Gemeinschafts Kraftwerk Kiel. Based on reported annual generation of 1,048 GWh, it can supply roughly 299k homes. It ranks #118 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 243,781 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 57k 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).

323Legacy source-record capacity
1,048GWh reported / yr
299,485homes powered
243,781t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005692.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKiel power station WRI
CountryGermany · Schleswig-Holstein WRI
Coordinates54.3394, 10.1766 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity323 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGemeinschafts Kraftwerk Kiel WRI
Commissioned1970 WRI
Technologysupercritical WRI
GWh reported / yr1,048 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions243,781 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#118 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#57 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.09× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent299,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.4°C · HDD 3,494 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 27/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 323 MW, Kiel power station is around the median coal plant in Germany (296 MW). Technically it is described as supercritical. 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.

243,781 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

57kpassenger cars driven for a year
32khomes' yearly energy use
4.1 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: 1,372 GWh20152016: 1,122 GWh20162017: 1,048 GWh20171k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Gemeinschafts Kraftwerk Kiel.

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 54.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.4°Cannual mean temp
3,494heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
33 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 9 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 76/100 — 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

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
27/100environmental-severity index
15.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
67 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 #57 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 54.3394, 10.1766 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kiel power station?

Kiel power station is a 323 MW source-record coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, commissioned in 1970.

How much electricity does Kiel power station generate?

Kiel power station generates about 1,048 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Kiel power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 299,485 homes.

Who operates Kiel power station?

Kiel power station is operated by Gemeinschafts Kraftwerk Kiel.

How much CO₂ does Kiel power station emit?

Kiel power station has measured emissions of about 243,781 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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