Maasvlakte Power Station (Riverstone Holdings) — Netherlands

Maasvlakte Power Station (Riverstone Holdings) is a 800 MW coal power station in South Holland, Netherlands. It is operated by Onyx Germany GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 119 Netherlands power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 1,221,924 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 285k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 7.1% of Netherlands's electricity; the national grid averages 254 gCO₂/kWh (54.2% low-carbon) (2025).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103095; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 800 MW, Maasvlakte Power Station (Riverstone Holdings) is below the median coal plant in Netherlands (1,040 MW). Technically it is described as ultra-supercritical. 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.

1,221,924 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Share of Netherlands coal capacity

11.2% of 7,116 MW across 7 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

3 of 6 dated coal plants in Netherlands 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 Netherlands

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

Owner

Operated by Onyx Germany GmbH.

Climate zone & how it works

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 51.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), 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 #5 largest coal power plant of 7 in Netherlands by capacity.

Netherlands has 7 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 7,116 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Nerefco · Wind · 22.5 MW · South Holland
• Enecogen power station · Gas · 870 MW · South Holland
• Maasvlakte 3 · Coal · 1,100 MW · South Holland
• Maasvlakte Ucml power station · Gas · 70 MW · Zuid-Holland
• Maasvlakte (MV1 and MV2) · Coal · 1,040 MW · South Holland
• Alco Energy Rotterdam power station · Biomass · 60 MW · South Holland

Location

Coordinates 51.943944, 4.071733 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions