MHKW Burgkirchen is a 12.5 MW waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany. It is operated by Zweckverband Abfallverwertung Südostbayern. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 17k homes (estimated). It ranks #741 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 112,044 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 26k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

12.5MW installed capacity
17,207homes powered (est.)
112,044t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005941.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMHKW Burgkirchen WRI
CountryGermany · Bavaria WRI
Coordinates48.1851, 12.7361 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity12.5 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerZweckverband Abfallverwertung Südostbayern WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions112,044 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#741 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#53 / 68 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.56× · 22.5 MW · n=68 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent17,207 calculated
Climate8.5°C · HDD 3,452 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 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

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 12.5 MW, MHKW Burgkirchen is below the median waste plant in Germany (22.5 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

~112,044 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

5.7kgarbage trucks of waste recycled instead of landfilled
15khomes' total energy use for a year
112kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.08%of the CO₂ from all Germany power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Key facts

Share of Germany waste capacity
0.7% of 1,698 MW across 68 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
17 of 60 dated waste 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 waste plants in Germany

ZMS Schwandorf power station: 76 MW76ZMS Schwan…MHKW Frankfurt: 72 MW72MHKW Frank…GMVA Niederrhein: 62 MW62GMVA Niede…MHKW Rothensee: 58 MW58MHKW Rothe…Müllkraftwerk Schwandorf: 54 MW54Müllkraftw…DT: 54 MW54DTRMVA Köln: 45 MW45RMVA KölnHKW Mannheim: 45 MW45HKW Mannhe…

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

Owner

Operated by Zweckverband Abfallverwertung Südostbayern.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.5°Cannual mean temp
3,452heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
457 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 3 °CND: 0 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 40% 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: 75/100 — 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

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
18.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
276 kmdistance to coast

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 #53 largest waste power plant of 68 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 68 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 1,698 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 48.1851, 12.7361 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is MHKW Burgkirchen?

MHKW Burgkirchen is a 12.5 MW waste power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1994.

Who operates MHKW Burgkirchen?

MHKW Burgkirchen is operated by Zweckverband Abfallverwertung Südostbayern.

How much CO₂ does MHKW Burgkirchen emit?

MHKW Burgkirchen has modelled emissions of about 112,044 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.