Wolfsburg North power station
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Wolfsburg North power station is an operating power station of at least 133-megawatts (MW) in Volkswagen Wolfsburg facility, Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Werk Wolfsburg Nord power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfsburg North power station | Volkswagen Wolfsburg facility, Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany | 52.431703, 10.786957 (exact)[1] |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- GUD1, Unit A, Unit B: 52.431703, 10.786957
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUD1 | Operating[2][3][4] | fossil gas: natural gas[5] | 133[5] | combined cycle[5] | yes[6] | 2021[4] | – |
| Unit A | Retired[4] | coal: anthracite | 70 | subcritical | – | 2000 | 2021[4] |
| Unit B | Retired | coal: anthracite | 70 | subcritical | – | 2000 | 2021[4] |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GUD1 | VW Kraftwerk GmbH [100%][3] | Volkswagen AG [100.0%] |
| Unit A | VW Kraftwerk GmbH [100%][3] | Volkswagen AG [100.0%] |
| Unit B | VW Kraftwerk GmbH [100%][3] | Volkswagen AG [100.0%] |
Project-level captive use details
- Captive industry use (heat or power): both[3]
- Captive industry: Automobiles[3]
- Non-industry use: both[3]
Background
Wolfsburg North is a two-unit coal-fired power plant with a total capacity of 140 MW. The plant was completed in 2000, and is owned by Volkswagen. The origins of the plant dates back to 1938. It serves VW's largest auto factory, as well as provides local heat supply.[7]
On March 8, 2018, Volkswagen AG announced it will invest €400 million (US$494 million) to modernize its Wolfsburg North and Wolfsburg West power station, converting them from hard coal to natural gas. The conversion is expected to be completed by 2021-2022.[8]
Volkswagen plans to replace the coal-fired boilers at Wolfsburg North power station with a combined-cycle (gas and steam turbine) system and three hot water boilers. In the future, these facilities will generate about 136 megawatts of electric power and about 386 megawatts of heat energy.[9]
In January 2021, Bundesnetzagentur expected the conversion to be completed by the end of 2021.[10] However, as of November 2021, it is unclear if construction has begun on the project.
As of April 2022, due to energy security concerns in light of the war in Ukraine, no gas conversions had taken place.[11]
In May 2022, Volkswagen stated that they would be prolonging the use of coal at the Wolfsburg North power station and Wolfsburg West power station. Though originally planned to be phased out by 2022, coal would remain in the fleet due to strained gas supplies.[12]
However, according to Volkswagen Group's 2023 Sustainability Report, published in March 2024, the conversion from coal to gas was completed at the end of 2021. The power station was therefore considered to be retired as a coal plant.[13]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220810024956/https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/25297726. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220519100435/https://www.waz-online.de/lokales/wolfsburg/vw-kraftwerk-wolfsburgs-wahrzeichen-laeuft-jetzt-mit-erdgas-PNMXZKRB7DD6FVZPIIMNCRXV6E.html. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 https://web.archive.org/web/20240531170853/https://www.vw-kraftwerk.de/de/Unternehmen/Standorte.html. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 (PDF) https://uploads.vw-mms.de/system/production/files/cws/040/223/file/493fc06060d273c6227290ffbba7f4f6858f4d14/2023_Volkswagen_Group_Sustainability_Report.pdf?1712752933.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220923080031/https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/volkswagen-group-realigns-energy-supplies-company-power-stations-to-change-over-from-coal-to-gas-2108. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221013054323/http://bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/sachgebiete/Elektrizitaetundgas/Unternehmen_institutionen/Versorgungssicherheit/Erzeugungskapazitaeten/kraftwerksliste/kraftwerksliste-node.html. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in Germany: Niedersachsen & Schleswig-Holstein," Industcards, accessed April 2016
- ↑ Ivana Kottasová, "Volkswagen will stop burning coal to build cars," CNN Money, March 8, 2018
- ↑ "Volkswagen Group realigns energy supplies: company power stations to change over from coal to gas," Volkswagen, accessed November 2019
- ↑ "Veröffentlichung Zu- und Rückbau, BNA ID, BNA: BNAP116". Bundesnetzagentur. January 19, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Los retos del Grupo Volkswagen: de la falta de microchips a la producción con energía que viene del carbón y el gas de Rusia," Motorpasion, April 11, 2022
- ↑ "Volkswagen is prolonging its use of coal due to Russian energy ‘threat’," CNBC, May 4, 2022
- ↑ "Sustainability Report 2023," Volkswagen Group, March 2024
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.
