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KWKK Heidelberg

Gas power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Approximate location 49.4216, 8.6728.

GasBaden-WuerttembergGermanyCO₂ measured

KWKK Heidelberg is a 14 MW gas power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 15k homes (estimated). It ranks #707 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 54,474 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 13k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

14Legacy source-record capacity
15,204homes powered (est.)
54,474t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005927.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKWKK Heidelberg WRI
CountryGermany · Baden-Wuerttemberg WRI
Coordinates49.4216, 8.6728 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity14 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
CO₂ emissions54,474 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#707 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#214 of 241 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.26× · 53 MW median · 241 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent15,204 calculated
Climate9.5°C · HDD 3,094 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 14 MW, KWKK Heidelberg is below the median gas plant in Germany (53 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

54,474 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

13kpassenger cars driven for a year
7.1khomes' yearly energy use
908ktree 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 gas plants in Germany

Gersteinwerk: 2,004 MW2kGersteinwe…Emsland: 1,837 MW2kEmslandGemeinschaftskraftwerk Irsching: 1,391 MW1kGemeinscha…Knapsack Natural Gas I: 1,252 MW1kKnapsack N…Gundelfingen Reserve power station: 1,200 MW1kGundelfing…RWE Burghausen power station: 950 MW950RWE Burgha…Bexbach-C power station: 900 MW900Bexbach-C …Leipheim power station: 869 MW869Leipheim p…

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

Owner

Operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.5°Cannual mean temp
3,094heating degree-days (base 18°C)
11cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
288 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 26% 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: 65/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
25/100environmental-severity index
17.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
382 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 #214 largest gas power plant of 241 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 241 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,245 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 49.4216, 8.6728 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is KWKK Heidelberg?

KWKK Heidelberg is a 14 MW source-record gas power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, commissioned in 2002.

How many homes can KWKK Heidelberg power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 15,204 homes (estimated).

Who operates KWKK Heidelberg?

KWKK Heidelberg is operated by RWE Energiedienstleistungen GmbH.

How much CO₂ does KWKK Heidelberg emit?

KWKK Heidelberg has measured emissions of about 54,474 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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