GKM (Mannheim) power station

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GKM Mannheim power station is a 2,147-megawatt (MW) coal plant owned by Grosskraftwerk Mannheim (GKM) in Baden-Württenberg, Germany.

Location

The undated satellite below shows the plant in Mannheim.

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Background

The GKM Mannheim power station originally consisted of the following units, commissioned from 1954 to 1993:

• Unit 1: 125 MW
• Unit 2: 160 MW
• Units 3 and 4: 220 MW each
• Unit 5: 430 MW
• Unit 6: 280 MW
• Unit 7: 475 MW
• Unit 8: 480 MW

Units 1-2 and unit 5 have been retired. Units 3-4 were retired in 2015, after unit 9 came online.

Unit 9

Unit 9 was a proposed 912 MW ultra-supercritical unit. A Power in Europe newsletter described the GKW consortium consisting of "RWE Power with 40%, ENBW Kraftwerke with 32% and MVV Energie with 28%". The concept of the project is that it replace two existing 220 MW units (units 3-4). "The project has political, trade union and industry support, but environmental groups are opposed to the plan," Power in Europe reports.

According to Deutsche Umwelthilfe, the project received its emission permit in July 2009 and its water permit in August 2009. Construction began in June 2012. A lawsuit by BUND was refused in July 2011. As of November 2012, the project was categorized as "under construction" with heavy delay.

The 912 MW plant was commissioned in 2015.

Project Details

• Sponsor: Grosskraftwerk Mannheim
• Parent company: RWE AG, EnBW AG, and MVV Energie AG
• Developer:
• Location: Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
• Coordinates: 49.445694, 8.490444 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Capacity: 2,147 MW (Unit 6: 280 MW, Unit 7: 475 MW, Unit 8: 480 MW, Unit 9: 912 MW)
• Start date: 1975 (Unit 6), 1982 (Unit 7), 1993 (Unit 8), 2015 (Unit 9)
• Type: Subcritical (Units 6-8), Ultra-supercritical (Unit 9)
• Coal Type: Bituminous
• Coal Source: Imported
• Source of financing:

Articles and Resources

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• Germany and coal
• Europe and coal
• Global use and production of coal