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Nordjylland power station

Coal power plant in North Denmark, Denmark. Approximate location 57.0736, 10.0416.

CoalNorth DenmarkDenmarksubcriticalCO₂ measured

Nordjylland power station is a 716 MW coal power station in North Denmark, Denmark. It is operated by Aalborg Forsyning. Based on reported annual generation of 1,239 GWh, it can supply roughly 354k homes. It ranks #4 of 57 Denmark power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 740,510 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 173k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 2.7% of Denmark's electricity; the national grid averages 114 gCO₂/kWh (91.2% low-carbon) (2025).

716Legacy source-record capacity
1,239GWh reported / yr
353,914homes powered
740,510t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022029.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNordjylland power station WRI
CountryDenmark · North Denmark WRI
Coordinates57.0736, 10.0416 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity716 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAalborg Forsyning WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr1,239 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions740,510 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4 of 57 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 11 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.92× · 373 MW median · 11 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent353,914 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.6°C · HDD 3,793 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 411 MW for Nordjylland power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 716 MW, Nordjylland power station is well above the median coal plant in Denmark (373 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.

740,510 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

173kpassenger cars driven for a year
97khomes' yearly energy use
12 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

2015: 1,362 GWh20152016: 1,832 GWh20162017: 1,239 GWh20172k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Aalborg Forsyning.

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 57.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.6°Cannual mean temp
3,793heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
21 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 8 °CON: 4 °CND: 2 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 54% 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: 81/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
15.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
51 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 #4 largest coal power plant of 11 in Denmark by capacity.

Denmark has 11 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,163 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 57.0736, 10.0416 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nordjylland power station?

Nordjylland power station is a 716 MW source-record coal power plant in North Denmark, Denmark, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does Nordjylland power station generate?

Nordjylland power station generates about 1,239 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Nordjylland power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 353,914 homes.

Who operates Nordjylland power station?

Nordjylland power station is operated by Aalborg Forsyning.

How much CO₂ does Nordjylland power station emit?

Nordjylland power station has measured emissions of about 740,510 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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