Weiher is a 656 MW coal power station in Saarland, Germany. It is operated by STEAG Power Saar GmbH. Based on reported annual generation of 412 GWh, it can supply roughly 118k homes. It ranks #75 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1976, it is around 50 years old — long-established. 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 WRI1006133.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 656 MW, Weiher is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 MW). 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 7%, from 412 GWh of reported generation; the median for 42 coal plants in Germany that report generation is 47%
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 1.0% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 35 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)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by STEAG Power Saar GmbH.
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 49.3°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 29% 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: 67/100 — 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
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 #41 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
- Quierschied-Weiher power station · Gas · 600 MW · Saarland
- Göttelborn Solar Power Plant · Solar · 8.4 MW · Saarland
- Hüttigweiler Solar Power Plant · Solar · 2.3 MW · Saarland
- AHKW Neunkirchen · Waste · 11.6 MW · Saarland
- Püttlingen Solar Power Plant · Solar · 4.9 MW · Saarland
- Romerbrucke power station · Gas · 177 MW · Saarland
Location
Coordinates 49.3341, 7.0314 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Weiher?
Weiher is a 656 MW coal power plant in Saarland, Germany, commissioned in 1976.
How much electricity does Weiher generate?
Weiher generates about 412 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Weiher?
Weiher is operated by STEAG Power Saar GmbH.