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RMVA Köln

Waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Approximate location 51.0003, 6.9436.

WasteNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermanyCO₂ modelled

RMVA Köln is a 45 MW waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by AVG Köln mbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 62k homes (estimated). It ranks #372 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 277,920 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 65k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

45Legacy source-record capacity
62,083homes powered (est.)
277,920t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006031.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRMVA Köln WRI
CountryGermany · North Rhine-Westphalia WRI
Coordinates51.0003, 6.9436 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity45 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAVG Köln mbH WRI
Commissioned1997 WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions277,920 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#372 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 of 68 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.00× · 22 MW median · 68 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent62,083 calculated
Climate10.3°C · HDD 2,813 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 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

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 45 MW, RMVA Köln is well above the median waste plant in Germany (22 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

~277,920 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

65kpassenger cars driven for a year
36khomes' yearly energy use
4.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest waste plants in Germany

ZMS Schwandorf power station: 76 MW76ZMS Schwan…MHKW Frankfurt: 72 MW72MHKW Frank…GMVA Niederrhein: 62 MW62GMVA Niede…MHKW Rothensee: 58 MW58MHKW Rothe…Müllkraftwerk Schwandorf: 54 MW54Müllkraftw…DT: 54 MW54DTRMVA Köln: 45 MW45RMVA KölnHKW Mannheim: 45 MW45HKW Mannhe…

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

Owner

Operated by AVG Köln mbH.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
2,813heating degree-days (base 18°C)
23cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
69 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 14% 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: 57/100 — 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)
24/100environmental-severity index
15.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
163 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 #7 largest waste power plant of 68 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 68 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 1,698 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.0003, 6.9436 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is RMVA Köln?

RMVA Köln is a 45 MW source-record waste power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1997.

How many homes can RMVA Köln power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 62,083 homes (estimated).

Who operates RMVA Köln?

RMVA Köln is operated by AVG Köln mbH.

How much CO₂ does RMVA Köln emit?

RMVA Köln has modelled emissions of about 277,920 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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