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Mainz power station

Coal power plant in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Approximate location 50.025872, 8.24192.

CoalRhineland-PalatinateGermanysubcritical

Mainz power station is a 1,123 MW coal power station in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is operated by Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden AG [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.4 million homes (estimated). It ranks #34 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1956, it is around 70 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).

1,123MW installed capacity
1,405,354homes powered (est.)
1956commissioned (~70 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityMainz power station GEM-coal
CountryGermany · Rhineland-Palatinate GEM-coal
Coordinates50.025872, 8.24192 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,123 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000101972; part of a generating complex
OwnerKraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden AG [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1956 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,918,740 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#34 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#16 / 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.79× · 296.2 MW · n=124 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,405,354 calculated
Climate10.1°C · HDD 2,925 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 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/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 · 2026 · L100000101972; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,123 MW, Mainz power station 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Germany

Niederaussem power station: 3,430 MW3kNiederauss…Janschwalde power station: 3,000 MW3kJanschwald…Boxberg power station: 2,582 MW3kBoxberg po…GKM (Mannheim) power station: 2,147 MW2kGKM (Mannh…BoA 2: 2,100 MW2kBoA 2Neurath power station: 2,068 MW2kNeurath po…Brunsbuettel SWS power station: 1,820 MW2kBrunsbuett…Weisweiler power station: 1,800 MW2kWeisweiler…

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

Owner

Operated by Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden AG [100%].

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 50.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.1°Cannual mean temp
2,925heating degree-days (base 18°C)
71cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
154 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 60/100 — 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)
26/100environmental-severity index
17.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
323 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 #16 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

Location

Coordinates 50.025872, 8.24192 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mainz power station?

Mainz power station is a 1,123 MW coal power plant in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, commissioned in 1956.

How many homes can Mainz power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,405,354 homes (estimated).

Who operates Mainz power station?

Mainz power station is operated by Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden AG [100%].

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