Niederaussem power station is a 3,430 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE Power AG. Based on reported annual generation of 23,579 GWh, it can supply roughly 6.7 million homes. It ranks #2 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1979, it is around 47 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 13,310,981 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 3.1 million cars driven for a year. 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 WRI1005979.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 2,278 MW for Niederaussem power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
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 3,430 MW, Niederaussem 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.
13,310,981 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
- Load factor
- 78%, from 23,579 GWh of reported generation; the median for 42 coal plants in Germany that report generation is 47%
- Generation trend
- 23,529 GWh in 2015 and 23,579 GWh in 2017 (+0%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2017: 23,579 GWh; 2016: 21,202 GWh
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 5.3% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 41 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)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by RWE Power AG. All plants by this company →
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 51.0°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 15% 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: 58/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), 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 #1 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
- Kraftwerk · Coal · 10 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Fortuna Nord · Coal · 15 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Neurath power station · Coal · 2,068 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- BoA 2 · Coal · 2,100 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Frimmersdorf power station · Coal · 562 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Wachtberg power station · Coal · 118 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 50.993, 6.6685 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Niederaussem power station?
Niederaussem power station is a 3,430 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1979.
How much electricity does Niederaussem power station generate?
Niederaussem power station generates about 23,579 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Niederaussem power station?
Niederaussem power station is operated by RWE Power AG.
How much CO₂ does Niederaussem power station emit?
Niederaussem power station has measured emissions of about 13,310,981 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).