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P&L Werk Könnern — Germany

Coal power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Approximate location 51.6978, 11.7581.

CoalSaxony-AnhaltGermanyCO₂ measured

P&L Werk Könnern is a 20.3 MW coal power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is operated by Pfeifer & Langen Kommanditgesellschaft. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 25k homes (estimated). It ranks #567 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 35,371 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 8.2k 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).

20.3MW installed capacity
25,404homes powered (est.)
35,371t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005995.

Data status

Known data

FacilityP&L Werk Könnern WRI
CountryGermany · Saxony-Anhalt WRI
Coordinates51.6978, 11.7581 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity20.3 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerPfeifer & Langen Kommanditgesellschaft WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
CO₂ emissions35,371 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#567 / 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#113 / 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.07× · 296.2 MW · n=124 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent25,404 calculated
Climate9.1°C · HDD 3,233 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 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 20.3 MW, P&L Werk Könnern is below the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 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.

35,371 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

196railcars of coal burned
7.4khomes' electricity use for a year
590ktree seedlings grown for 10 years
0.03%of the CO₂ from all Germany power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Share of Germany coal capacity
less than 0.1% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
85 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)).

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 Pfeifer & Langen Kommanditgesellschaft.

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 51.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.1°Cannual mean temp
3,233heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
116 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% 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: 69/100 — 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)
25/100environmental-severity index
17.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
361 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 #113 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 51.6978, 11.7581 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is P&L Werk Könnern?

P&L Werk Könnern is a 20.3 MW coal power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, commissioned in 1993.

Who operates P&L Werk Könnern?

P&L Werk Könnern is operated by Pfeifer & Langen Kommanditgesellschaft.

How much CO₂ does P&L Werk Könnern emit?

P&L Werk Könnern has measured emissions of about 35,371 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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