Wachtberg power station is a 118 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by Rwe Power Ag. Based on reported annual generation of 562 GWh, it can supply roughly 161k homes. It ranks #222 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1959, it is around 67 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 548,500 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 128k 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005682.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from 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 118 MW, Wachtberg power station is below the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 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.
~548,500 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 54%, from 562 GWh of reported generation; the median for 42 coal plants in Germany that report generation is 47%
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 0.2% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 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
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Rwe Power 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 50.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 18% 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: 59/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #79 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
- Huerth Ville / Berrenrath power station · Coal · 52 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Knapsack Natural Gas I · Gas · 1,252 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Green Steam Hürth power station · Biomass · 20 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- EBKW Knapsack · Waste · 33.4 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Kraftwerk · Coal · 10 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Fortuna Nord · Coal · 15 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 50.8976, 6.7931 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Wachtberg power station?
Wachtberg power station is a 118 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1959.
How much electricity does Wachtberg power station generate?
Wachtberg power station generates about 562 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Wachtberg power station?
Wachtberg power station is operated by Rwe Power Ag.
How much CO₂ does Wachtberg power station emit?
Wachtberg power station has modelled emissions of about 548,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).