Weisweiler power station is a 1,800 MW coal power station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is operated by RWE Power AG. Based on reported annual generation of 15,236 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.4 million homes. It ranks #13 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1968, it is around 58 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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 WRI1006134.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,595 MW for Weisweiler power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000101966; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,800 MW, Weisweiler power station is well above the median coal plant in Germany (296.2 MW). Technically it is described as Ansaldo Energia: GT36; 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 97%, from 15,236 GWh of reported generation; the median for 42 coal plants in Germany that report generation is 47%
- Generation trend
- 14,338 GWh in 2015 and 15,236 GWh in 2017 (+6%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2017: 15,236 GWh; 2015: 14,338 GWh
- Share of Germany coal capacity
- 2.8% of 64,920 MW across 124 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 18 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 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 50.8°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 28% 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: 66/100 — 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 #8 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
- MVA Weisweiler · Waste · 24 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Inden Solar Power Plant · Solar · 3.8 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- P&L Werk Jülich · Coal · 24.6 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Juelich power station · Gas · 25.2 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Jülich Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.5 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
- AVR Reactor nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 15 MW · North Rhine-Westphalia
Location
Coordinates 50.8392, 6.3211 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Weisweiler power station?
Weisweiler power station is a 1,800 MW coal power plant in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, commissioned in 1968.
How much electricity does Weisweiler power station generate?
Weisweiler power station generates about 15,236 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Weisweiler power station?
Weisweiler power station is operated by RWE Power AG.