Herne power station
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Herne power station is an operating power station of at least 1225-megawatts (MW) in Herne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Herne power station | Herne, Herne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany | 51.550673, 7.187527 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 51.550673, 7.187527
- Unit 5, Unit 6: 51.551389, 7.188889
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year | Equipment | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: bituminous[1] | 145 | subcritical | yes | 1962 | 2014 | – | no |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: bituminous[1] | 145 | subcritical | – | 1963 | 2013 | – | no |
| Unit 3 | Retired | coal: bituminous[1] | 310 | subcritical | yes | 1966 | 2017 | – | no |
| Unit 4 | Operating | coal: bituminous[1] | 500 | supercritical | yes | 1989 | 2031 (planned)[2][3] | – | no |
| Unit 5 | Cancelled | coal: bituminous[1] | 750 | ultra-supercritical | – | – | – | – | no |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | Operating[4][5] | fossil gas: natural gas[6] | 725[6] | combined cycle[6] | yes[7] | 2022[4] | – | Siemens Energy: SGT5-8000H[8] | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 6, timepoint 1 | STEAG GmbH [100%][9] | Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): imported
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The power station consisted of four units: units 1 and 2 of 150 MW each, unit 3 of 300 MW, and unit 4 of 500 MW, commissioned from 1962 to 1989.[10][11]
The first two 150 MW units have been retired: Unit 1 in 2014, and unit 2 in 2013.[12] Unit 3, commissioned in 1966, was retired in 2017.[13]
Herne 4 Power Station was slated for a conversion to natural gas. In March 2022, STEAG announced that the unit would continue firing coal until Spring 2023.[14] As of January 2024, Unit 4 had not yet retired the use of coal. STEAG had a stated commitment to phasing out coal by 2026.[15] In October 2024, Unit 4 was declared to be "system relevant" through 2027.[16] In October 2025, the unit’s “system-relevant” status was extended through March 31, 2031, with a potential further extension.[17]
Herne 5 Power Station was proposed by Steag to have an installed capacity of 750 megawatts. In April 2008 Power in Europe, an energy trade newsletter, reported that Steag "has parked Herne 5 (750-MW) because of rising equipment costs and the threat of 100% CO2 auctioning."[18]
Herne-6 power station is a 625-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.[19]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/ElektrizitaetundGas/Versorgungssicherheit/Erzeugungskapazitaeten/Systemrelevante_KW/_DL/AmprionGmbH07102025.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Kraftwerk muss bleiben". Radio Herne. Archived from the original on 2026-02-04. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.steag.com/en/?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=889&cHash=e56c1741bf50bbd855f098f1150f220c.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221001114215/https://www.energate-messenger.com/news/225333/new-ccgt-herne-6-starts-in-the-electricity-market. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Bundesnetzagentur - Kraftwerksliste". www.bundesnetzagentur.de. Archived from the original on 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221204225509/https://www.steag.com/en/press-release/29-03-2021-energiezukunft-in-herne-nimmt-gestalt-an. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.steag-iqony-group.com/en/?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=889&cHash=e56c1741bf50bbd855f098f1150f220c.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 https://solutions.iqony.energy/en/media/press-releases/detail/19-01-2022-herne-ccgt-generates-its-first-electricity.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in Nordrhein-Westfalen," Industcards, accessed April 2016
- ↑ "Herne Coal CHP Power Plant Germany," GEO, accessed April 2016
- ↑ "Steag legt Block 2 endgültig still," Waz, 05.11.2013
- ↑ "Power Plant Herne," Steag, accessed Nov 2017
- ↑ "Steag postpones conversion of "Herne 4"," Energate Messenger, March 2, 2022
- ↑ "STEAG heads for strong growth," STEAG, accessed January 18, 2024
- ↑ "Kraftwerk muss bleiben," Radio Herne, October 16, 2024
- ↑ "Genehmigungsbescheid der Bundesnetzagentur zur Systemrelevanzausweisung des Kraftwerksblocks Bergkamen A" (PDF). bundesnetzagentur.de. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Coal on the rocks", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Herne's energy future takes shape". STEAG GmbH. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
