KW Voerde is a 1,390 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Kraftwerk Voerde beschränkt haftende OHG. Based on reported annual generation of 5,675 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.6 million homes. It ranks #26 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005915.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
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 1,390 MW, KW Voerde is well above 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 47%, from 5,675 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 47% median for 42 coal plants in Germany
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 2.1% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 23 of 117 dated coal 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 coal plants in Germany
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Kraftwerk Voerde beschränkt haftende OHG.
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 51.6°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 9% 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: 54/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), 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 #13 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
- Voerde power station · Gas · 850 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- KW West · Coal · 640 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- KW Walsum · Coal · 1,200 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Solvay Rheinberg power station · Gas · 130 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Industrie-Kraftwerk · Coal · 79 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Oxea GmbH · Other · 38 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 51.5765, 6.6894 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is KW Voerde?
KW Voerde is a 1,390 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1970.
How much electricity does KW Voerde generate?
KW Voerde generates about 5,675 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates KW Voerde?
KW Voerde is operated by Kraftwerk Voerde beschränkt haftende OHG.