Home / Europe / Germany / Nord 2

Nord 2

Coal power plant in Bavaria, Germany. Approximate location 48.1805, 11.6393.

CoalBavariaGermanyCO₂ measured

Nord 2 is a 333 MW coal power station in Bavaria, Germany. It is operated by SWM Services GmbH. Based on reported annual generation of 1,360 GWh, it can supply roughly 388k homes. It ranks #115 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,472,512 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 343k 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).

333Legacy source-record capacity
1,360GWh reported / yr
388,485homes powered
1,472,512t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005982.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNord 2 WRI
CountryGermany · Bavaria WRI
Coordinates48.1805, 11.6393 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity333 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSWM Services GmbH WRI
Commissioned1991 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,360 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,472,512 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#115 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#55 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.12× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent388,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.6°C · HDD 3,405 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

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 333 MW, Nord 2 is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296 MW). 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.

1,472,512 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

343kpassenger cars driven for a year
192khomes' yearly energy use
25 milliontree 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).

Reported generation trend

2016: 1,510 GWh20162017: 1,360 GWh20172k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by SWM Services GmbH.

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 48.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.6°Cannual mean temp
3,405heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
558 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: 4 °CND: 1 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 39% 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: 73/100 — 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

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
18.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
294 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 #55 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 48.1805, 11.6393 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nord 2?

Nord 2 is a 333 MW source-record coal power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1991.

How much electricity does Nord 2 generate?

Nord 2 generates about 1,360 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Nord 2 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 388,485 homes.

Who operates Nord 2?

Nord 2 is operated by SWM Services GmbH.

How much CO₂ does Nord 2 emit?

Nord 2 has measured emissions of about 1,472,512 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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