Frimmersdorf Power Station, located in
Grevenbroich
Grevenbroich () is a town in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Erft, approximately 15 km southwest of Neuss and 15 km southeast of Mönchengladbach. Cologne and Düsseldorf are in a 3 ...
, is a decommissioned
lignite-fired power station in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
The power station was one of the largest
lignite-fired power stations in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It had fourteen units with a total output capacity of 2,413
megawatts
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wat ...
(MW). The chimneys of the power station are 200 metres high.
Beginning in 2005, the units in the plant were shut down due to their advanced age and all units had been taken offline by 2018. Only two 300-MW units remained on standby in case of emergencies. The two remaining units were fully decommissioned in September 2021
History
The first power station in Frimmersdorf, fired with lignite, was established in 1926 and had an output of 10 MW. It was located ca. 1 km south west of today's power station on the west bank of the
Erft river (). In 1936 the power station was acquired by
RWE
RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen. It generates and trades electricity in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. The company is Europe's most climate threatening Company, the world's number two in offsh ...
and after extension work the output raised to 26 MW.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
demolitions the power station was back in operation 1946. After further enhancement an output of 90MW was reached in 1951.
In 1954 this was replaced with a much larger plant ''Frimmersdorf II'' which initially contained two 100 MW units. Over the next 15 years, this was incrementally upgraded until it supported an additional twelve 150 MW units and two 300 MW units. In 1970 the final configuration of Frimmersdorf II was reached and the power station held the record of the world largest thermal power station.
1988 saw the installation of
Flue-gas desulfurization scrubbers, while the two 100 MW units were shut down on 30 June.
Starting in 2005 most of the units are shut down until 2013. Their workload is mainly replaced by new 1100MW units in the neighbouring
Neurath Power Station
Neurath Power Station is a lignite-fired power station at Neurath in Grevenbroich, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located to the south of Grevenbroich, and it borders the municipalities of Rommerskirchen and Bedburg. The power station co ...
. The two remaining 300MW units are planned to be shut down by October 2017. As of January 2018, the units have been taken offline, and kept only as "grid stability emergency reserve". Full decommissioning is planned for October 2021. The power station was fully decommissioned in September 2021
Carbon dioxide pollution
According to a 2005
WWF report, Frimmersdorf power station is the dirtiest power station in Europe and the third most polluting
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many ...
in the industrialised world (based on CO
2 per megawatt hour sent out).
Hazelwood extension gets the 'green' light
''The Age'', September 7, 2005
See also
* List of least carbon efficient power stations
This is a list of least carbon efficient power stations in selected countries. Lists were created by the WWF and lists the most polluting power stations in terms of the level of carbon dioxide produced per unit of electricity generated. In genera ...
References
External links
*
Coal-fired power stations in Germany
RWE
Buildings and structures in Rhein-Kreis Neuss
{{Germany-powerstation-stub