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Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk

Coal power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Approximate location 49.0134, 8.3065.

CoalBaden-WuerttembergGermanysubcriticalCO₂ measured

Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk is a 1,547 MW coal power station in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is operated by EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG. Based on reported annual generation of 3,432 GWh, it can supply roughly 980k homes. It ranks #17 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 3,182,680 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 742k 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).

1,547Legacy source-record capacity
3,432GWh reported / yr
980,457homes powered
3,182,680t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006026.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk WRI
CountryGermany · Baden-Wuerttemberg WRI
Coordinates49.0134, 8.3065 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,547 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr3,432 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions3,182,680 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#17 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#12 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.22× · 296 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent980,457 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.6°C · HDD 3,080 derived from coordinates
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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,547 MW, Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296 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.

3,182,680 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

742kpassenger cars driven for a year
415khomes' yearly energy use
53 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: 4,722 GWh20152016: 3,432 GWh20165k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG. All plants by this company →

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 49.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.6°Cannual mean temp
3,080heating degree-days (base 18°C)
28cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
255 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 25% 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: 65/100 — this site sits in the mid 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)
25/100environmental-severity index
17.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
415 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 #12 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 49.0134, 8.3065 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk?

Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk is a 1,547 MW source-record coal power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, commissioned in 1984.

How much electricity does Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk generate?

Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk generates about 3,432 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 980,457 homes.

Who operates Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk?

Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk is operated by EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG.

How much CO₂ does Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk emit?

Rheinhafen-Dampfkraftwerk has measured emissions of about 3,182,680 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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