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Waldeck 2

Hydro power plant in Hesse, Germany. Approximate location 51.1671, 9.0468.

HydroHesseGermanypumped storage

Waldeck 2 is a 480 MW hydro power station in Hesse, Germany. It is operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH. Based on reported annual generation of 739 GWh, it can supply roughly 211k homes. It ranks #88 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

480Source-backed capacity
739GWh reported / yr
211,114homes powered
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006127.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWaldeck 2 WRI
CountryGermany · Hesse WRI
Coordinates51.1671, 9.0468 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity480 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerE.ON Kraftwerke GmbH WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI
GWh reported / yr739 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#88 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers20.00× · 24 MW median · 112 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent211,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.8°C · HDD 3,712 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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.

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 L100000601743); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 480 MW, Waldeck 2 is well above the median hydro plant in Germany (24 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. 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.

Reported generation trend

2015: 779 GWh20152016: 767 GWh20162017: 739 GWh2017779 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH. All plants by this company →

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 51.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.8°Cannual mean temp
3,712heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
387 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 8 °CON: 4 °CND: 1 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 51% 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: 80/100 — 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
16.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
298 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 #5 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 51.1671, 9.0468 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Waldeck 2?

Waldeck 2 is a 480 MW source-record hydro power plant in Hesse, Germany, commissioned in 1974.

How much electricity does Waldeck 2 generate?

Waldeck 2 generates about 739 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Waldeck 2 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 211,114 homes.

Who operates Waldeck 2?

Waldeck 2 is operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH.

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