Niederaussem Power Station
Niederaussem Power Station is a lignite-fired power station in the Niederaussem district of Bergheim, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis of North Rhine‑Westphalia, Germany. It is owned by RWE. The plant consists of nine units, constructed between 1963 and 2003. It is the largest lignite-fired power plant currently operating in Germany, with a total net capacity of 2,220 MW.
In 2018 the plant was estimated to be among the ten most carbon-polluting coal-fired power stations in the world, emitting 27.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Its emissions intensity is estimated to be 45.1% higher than the average for all fossil-fuelled plants in Germany. According to the Dirty Thirty study issued by WWF in 2007, Niederaussem Power Station was the second-worst power station in Europe for mercury emissions, owing to its reliance on lignite. It is also among the world's least carbon-efficient power stations, producing approximately 1.2 kg of CO2 per kilowatt-hour generated as of 2007.
History
Initial construction
Construction of blocks A and B began in the autumn of 1960. The site was chosen because it offered ample space for future expansion. The supply of lignite was secured by the north-south running "Garzweiler" seams. Before blocks A and B first generated power, construction had already begun on the first 300-MW unit at the Niederaussem site. That unit entered operation in the summer of 1965.Between 1968 and 1971, three additional units incorporating improved technology were built. A major step forward came with the construction of two 600-MW units, which were synchronised to the grid in 1974. By that time, the units at Niederaussem had a combined output of 2,700 MW.
Mid-1990s
In the mid-1990s, the plant's output was increased once again. To meet the limit values introduced by new environmental protection regulations, construction of a flue-gas desulphurisation plant began in 1986 and was completed in 1988. The flue gases are fed into scrubbers and cleaned using a lime-water mixture. The cleaned and cooled exhaust is then reheated to 75 °C and discharged into the outside air through the chimneys. During flue-gas purification, gypsum is produced from the lime-water mixture; this by-product is processed next to the power station in Auenheim by the company Pro Mineral.1997 to present
With the construction of the new BoA block, a new chapter began at the power station. Between 1997 and 2002, it was the most modern brown-coal power-station unit in the world, with a gross output of 1,012 MW and a significantly higher efficiency than most other plants, some of which operated at efficiencies as low as 31%. RWE invested €1.2 billion in the project.The new power-block building is tall and is the tallest industrial building in the world. Its cooling tower was also the tallest in the world at when completed, although it is now the third-tallest, after those at the Pingshan Power Station in China and the Kalisindh Thermal Power Station in India. These developments made Niederaussem one of the largest and most modern coal-fired power stations in the world. The official opening of the new block took place in the summer of 2002.
Since 21 July 2006, RWE has invested €40 million in constructing a fluidised-bed drying unit with waste-heat technology as a pilot project for drying raw brown coal. The process also makes use of the power station's available waste heat.
The older units at the plant have been progressively decommissioned since the early 2010s. Units A and B were taken out of service at the end of 2012. In 2019 RWE cancelled a planned 1,200 MW upgrade. Unit D was decommissioned on 31 December 2020, followed by Unit C on 31 December 2021. Units E and F were decommissioned on 31 March 2024.
2006 fire
On 9 June 2006 at 01:15, a fire broke out in Block H of the coaling station. The fire spread to two additional coaling-station blocks. Soon afterwards, the flames had engulfed nearly the entire area of the "old power station", and a large black smoke cloud rose and drifted several kilometres to the north-west. The power station's own fire brigade was unable to bring the fire under control and raised the alarm. Around 300 emergency personnel from across the country responded. The damage to property amounted to tens of millions.Even by late evening the following day, the fire had not been fully extinguished. Its spread was limited by recently developed fire-prevention measures in other parts of the power station, so that only the coaling station was affected.