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Kraftwerk

Oil power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 50.8305, 6.9594.

OilNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanyCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Kraftwerk is a 66 MW oil power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Basell Polyolefine GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 50k homes (estimated). It ranks #312 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1962, it is around 64 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 460,894 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 107k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 3.8% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

66Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
49,781homes powered (est.)
460,894t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1962commissioned (~64 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005873.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKraftwerk WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates50.8305, 6.9594 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity66 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBasell Polyolefine GmbH WRI
Commissioned1962 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
CO₂ emissions460,894 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#312 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 27 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.75× · 88 MW median · 27 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent49,781 calculated
Climate10.3°C · HDD 2,823 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 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 66 MW, Kraftwerk is below the median oil plant in Germany (88 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

460,894 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

107kpassenger cars driven for a year
60khomes' yearly energy use
7.7 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).

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Germany

Wilmersdorf: 828 MW828WilmersdorfMarbach power station: 695 MW695Marbach po…IKS PCK Schwedt: 334 MW334IKS PCK Sc…KW Mittelsbüren: 273 MW273KW Mittels…Brunsbüttel: 254 MW254BrunsbüttelKraftwerk Walheim: 136 MW136Kraftwerk …Spitzenlastkraftwerk Großkayna: 120 MW120Spitzenlas…Maxau Mill power station: 120 MW120Maxau Mill…

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

Owner

Operated by Basell Polyolefine GmbH.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
2,823heating degree-days (base 18°C)
29cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
83 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% 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: 58/100 — 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

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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
24/100environmental-severity index
16.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
163 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 #17 largest oil power plant of 27 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 27 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 3,844 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.8305, 6.9594 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kraftwerk?

Kraftwerk is a 66 MW source-record oil power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1962.

How many homes can Kraftwerk power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 49,781 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kraftwerk?

Kraftwerk is operated by Basell Polyolefine GmbH.

How much CO₂ does Kraftwerk emit?

Kraftwerk has measured emissions of about 460,894 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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