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Oberhavel power station

Coal power plant in Berlin, Germany. Approximate location 52.578108, 13.215608.

CoalBerlinGermanysubcritical

Oberhavel power station is a 200 MW coal power station in Berlin, Germany. It is operated by Vattenfall Europe AG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 250k homes (estimated). It ranks #161 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1961, it is around 65 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).

200MW installed capacity
250,285homes powered (est.)
1961commissioned (~65 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityOberhavel power station GEM-coal
CountryGermany · Berlin GEM-coal
Coordinates52.578108, 13.215608 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity200 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerVattenfall Europe AG GEM-coal
Commissioned1961 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions876,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#161 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#67 / 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.68× · 296.2 MW · n=124 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent250,285 calculated
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 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 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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 200 MW, Oberhavel power station is below 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 Vattenfall Europe AG.

Climate zone & how it works

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 52.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season mean
Temperate oceanic: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
25/100environmental-severity index
18.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
202 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 #67 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 52.578108, 13.215608 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Oberhavel power station?

Oberhavel power station is a 200 MW coal power plant in Berlin, Germany, commissioned in 1961.

How many homes can Oberhavel power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 250,285 homes (estimated).

Who operates Oberhavel power station?

Oberhavel power station is operated by Vattenfall Europe AG.

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