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KW Mittelsbüren

Oil power plant in Lower Saxony, Germany. Approximate location 53.1289, 8.6852.

OilLower SaxonyGermanyCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

KW Mittelsbüren is a 273 MW oil power station in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is operated by swb Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG. Based on reported annual generation of 857 GWh, it can supply roughly 245k homes. It ranks #140 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2016, it is around 10 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 496,940 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 116k 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).

273Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
857GWh reported / yr
244,771homes powered
496,940t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2016commissioned (~10 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005912.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKW Mittelsbüren WRI
CountryGermany · Lower Saxony WRI
Coordinates53.1289, 8.6852 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity273 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Ownerswb Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG WRI
Commissioned2016 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr857 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions496,940 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#140 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 27 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.10× · 88 MW median · 27 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent244,771 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,259 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 28/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 273 MW for SWB Mittelsbüren power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000408819); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 273 MW, KW Mittelsbüren is well above 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.

~496,940 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

116kpassenger cars driven for a year
65khomes' yearly energy use
8.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2015: 960 GWh20152016: 1,069 GWh20162017: 857 GWh20171k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by swb Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG.

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 53.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,259heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
4 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% 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: 70/100 — 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)
28/100environmental-severity index
15.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
63 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 #4 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 53.1289, 8.6852 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is KW Mittelsbüren?

KW Mittelsbüren is a 273 MW source-record oil power plant in Lower Saxony, Germany, commissioned in 2016.

How much electricity does KW Mittelsbüren generate?

KW Mittelsbüren generates about 857 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can KW Mittelsbüren power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 244,771 homes.

Who operates KW Mittelsbüren?

KW Mittelsbüren is operated by swb Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG.

How much CO₂ does KW Mittelsbüren emit?

KW Mittelsbüren has modelled emissions of about 496,940 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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