Imagine a time when Hannover sought a reliable energy source. That need led to the birth of the Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover. This power plant stands as a testament to collaboration. It is locally known as Kraftwerk Stöcken.
The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover is a combined heat and power plant. Stadtwerke Hannover and VW Kraftwerk GmbH operate it together. Its location is strategic near the Nordhafen harbor and Autobahn 2. Volkswagen and Continental AG plants surround it.
Why was this location chosen? The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover supplies power and heat. It meets Volkswagen’s process and space heating needs. It also provides baseload heating and electricity for Stadtwerke Hannover.
Construction began in 1984. By 1989, the Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover was operational. This was faster and more efficient than building separate plants. The plant uses hard coal for fuel. Most of this coal arrives by ship via the Mittelland Canal. The rest comes by train.
The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover features advanced pollution controls. It has systems for flue gas desulfurization and denitrification. There is also a dust separation system. Despite these efforts, it emits 1.2 million tons of CO2 annually. This makes it Hannover’s largest single CO2 source.
Look around at the architecture. The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover has distinctive design elements. Bertram + Bünnemann designed the plant. The two boiler houses are about 80 meters tall. They have arched roof closures and recessed corners. This gives them a slender look. Glazed stairwells and porthole-shaped windows add a nautical touch. From certain angles, it resembles a ship.
Inside, generators produce power at 10.5 kilovolts. Transformers increase this voltage for the 110-kV grid. The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover operates on combined heat and power principles. Waste heat is used for district heating and industrial processes. This boosts fuel efficiency. It reaches up to 88% and averages about 60% annually.
The plant’s heating power is 750 megawatts thermal. With maximum heat extraction, electrical output is 230 MW. The maximum possible electrical output is 300 MW.
In its early years, three companies needed to upgrade their power facilities. These were Stadtwerke, VWK, and Continental. Stricter environmental laws drove this change. A joint heating plant proved more economical than individual ones.
The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover underwent major revisions in 2008 and 2009. These overhauls occurred after 80000 operating hours. The plant ensured continuous power and heat supply by working on only one block at a time.
Interestingly, the Enercity HolzenergieCenter Hannover is also located here. It dries about 2500 tons of firewood annually using heat from the power plant. The firewood reaches an optimal moisture content in just days.
Continental AG withdrew from the power plant company in 2010. Stadtwerke Hannover acquired their shares.
What does the future hold? Enercity plans to phase out coal use. The first block is scheduled to be replaced by a biomass heating plant by 2025. The entire heating plant is to be shut down by 2030. Bürgerbegehren hannover erneuerbar advocates for closure by 2026.
In 2021, Enercity agreed to a complete coal phase-out. They will cease coal use as quickly as possible, ideally by 2026. The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Hannover stands at a crossroads. It transitions from coal power to renewable energy. Its legacy will be one of adaptation and change.n