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Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen

Gas power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Approximate location 51.6431, 12.2289.

GasSaxony-AnhaltGermany

Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen is a 40 MW gas power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is operated by envia THERM GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 45k homes (estimated). It ranks #390 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 16.5% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

40Legacy source-record capacity
45,051homes powered (est.)
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006054.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySpitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen WRI
CountryGermany · Saxony-Anhalt WRI
Coordinates51.6431, 12.2289 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity40 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Ownerenvia THERM GmbH WRI
Commissioned1997 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions63,072 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#390 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#137 of 241 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.76× · 53 MW median · 241 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent45,051 calculated
Climate9.3°C · HDD 3,199 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

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 40 MW, Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen is below the median gas plant in Germany (53 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Germany

Gersteinwerk: 2,004 MW2kGersteinwe…Emsland: 1,837 MW2kEmslandGemeinschaftskraftwerk Irsching: 1,391 MW1kGemeinscha…Knapsack Natural Gas I: 1,252 MW1kKnapsack N…Gundelfingen Reserve power station: 1,200 MW1kGundelfing…RWE Burghausen power station: 950 MW950RWE Burgha…Bexbach-C power station: 900 MW900Bexbach-C …Leipheim power station: 869 MW869Leipheim p…

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

Owner

Operated by envia THERM GmbH.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.3°Cannual mean temp
3,199heating degree-days (base 18°C)
31cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
90 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 2 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 30% 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: 68/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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
18.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
361 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 #137 largest gas power plant of 241 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 241 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,245 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.6431, 12.2289 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen?

Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen is a 40 MW source-record gas power plant in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, commissioned in 1997.

How many homes can Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 45,051 homes (estimated).

Who operates Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen?

Spitzenlastkraftwerk Wolfen is operated by envia THERM GmbH.

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