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PSW Vianden

Hydro power plant in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Approximate location 49.9523, 6.1783.

HydroRheinland-PfalzGermany

PSW Vianden is a 1,096 MW hydro power station in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is operated by Société Electrique de l'Our S.A.. Based on reported annual generation of 1,416 GWh, it can supply roughly 405k homes. It ranks #37 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 3.9% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

1,096Source-backed capacity
1,416GWh reported / yr
404,714homes powered

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006007.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPSW Vianden WRI
CountryGermany · Rheinland-Pfalz WRI
Coordinates49.9523, 6.1783 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity1,096 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSociété Electrique de l'Our S.A. WRI
GWh reported / yr1,416 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#37 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers45.67× · 24 MW median · 112 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent404,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.9°C · HDD 3,296 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 1,294 MW for Vianden hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000602423); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,096 MW, PSW Vianden is well above the median hydro plant in Germany (24 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Germany

PSW Vianden: 1,096 MW1kPSW ViandenGoldisthal: 1,060 MW1kGoldisthalMarkersbach: 1,046 MW1kMarkersbachWehr: 910 MW910WehrWaldeck 2: 480 MW480Waldeck 2Säckingen: 360 MW360SäckingenHohenwarte: 320 MW320HohenwarteKopswerk I: 247 MW247Kopswerk I

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Société Electrique de l'Our S.A..

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.9°Cannual mean temp
3,296heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
334 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 4 °CND: 2 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 71/100 — 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)
24/100environmental-severity index
16.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
219 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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 112 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 112 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,981 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 49.9523, 6.1783 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is PSW Vianden?

PSW Vianden is a 1,096 MW source-record hydro power plant in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

How much electricity does PSW Vianden generate?

PSW Vianden generates about 1,416 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can PSW Vianden power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 404,714 homes.

Who operates PSW Vianden?

PSW Vianden is operated by Société Electrique de l'Our S.A..

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