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Kiel-Wik power station

Coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Approximate location 54.333333, 10.133333.

CoalSchleswig-HolsteinGermanysubcritical

Kiel-Wik power station is a 40 MW coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is operated by Stadtwerke Kiel AG [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 50k homes (estimated). It ranks #391 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 20.6% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

40MW installed capacity
50,057homes powered (est.)
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityKiel-Wik power station GEM-coal
CountryGermany · Schleswig-Holstein GEM-coal
Coordinates54.333333, 10.133333 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity40 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerStadtwerke Kiel AG [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1970 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions175,200 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#391 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#102 / 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.14× · 296.2 MW · n=124 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent50,057 calculated
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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 40 MW, Kiel-Wik power station is below the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Germany

Niederaussem power station: 3,430 MW3kNiederauss…Janschwalde power station: 3,000 MW3kJanschwald…Boxberg power station: 2,582 MW3kBoxberg po…GKM (Mannheim) power station: 2,147 MW2kGKM (Mannh…BoA 2: 2,100 MW2kBoA 2Neurath power station: 2,068 MW2kNeurath po…Brunsbuettel SWS power station: 1,820 MW2kBrunsbuett…Weisweiler power station: 1,800 MW2kWeisweiler…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Stadtwerke Kiel AG [100%].

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 #102 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 54.333333, 10.133333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kiel-Wik power station?

Kiel-Wik power station is a 40 MW coal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, commissioned in 1970.

How many homes can Kiel-Wik power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 50,057 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kiel-Wik power station?

Kiel-Wik power station is operated by Stadtwerke Kiel AG [100%].

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