Overview
Natural Gas Turbine #2 is a 19.5 MW gas power plant in Herzberg am Harz, Germany, owned by Smurfit Kappa Herzberger Papierfabrik GmbH. It supplies electricity to the local grid and industrial operations.
Natural Gas Turbine #2 is a gas-fired power plant located in Herzberg am Harz, Germany, with a capacity of 19.5 MW. The facility is owned by Smurfit Kappa Herzberger Papierfabrik GmbH, a paper manufacturing company, and is currently operational. As a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, it likely provides both electricity and thermal energy to the adjacent paper mill, enhancing overall energy efficiency. Germany's power generation sector is heavily regulated under the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU) and the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). Gas-fired plants like this one benefit from lower emissions compared to coal, but must comply with strict NOx and CO limits. The plant's capacity of 19.5 MW places it in the small-to-medium scale range for gas turbines, typical for industrial cogeneration applications. The plant's location in Herzberg am Harz, a town in Lower Saxony, supports local industrial energy needs and contributes to grid stability. By utilizing natural gas, a cleaner fossil fuel, the facility helps reduce the carbon footprint of the paper production process. Its integration with the paper mill underscores the role of decentralized power generation in improving industrial energy efficiency and reducing transmission losses.
Environmental context
The plant operates in a region with moderate air quality concerns, typical for industrial areas in Germany. Natural gas combustion produces lower CO2, SOx, and particulate emissions compared to coal or oil, but NOx emissions remain a regulatory focus. The facility's proximity to the Herzberg am Harz community requires adherence to stringent emission limits under the EU Industrial Emissions Directive. Its cogeneration design reduces overall fuel consumption and associated environmental impact.
Frequently asked questions
Natural Gas Turbine #2 is located in Herzberg am Harz, Lower Saxony, Germany, at coordinates 51.6627 N, 10.3531 E.
The plant has a capacity of 19.5 megawatts (MW), which is typical for an industrial cogeneration gas turbine.
The plant is owned by Smurfit Kappa Herzberger Papierfabrik GmbH, a paper manufacturing company that uses the plant for on-site power and heat generation.
Gas power plants in Germany must comply with the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), which sets emission limits for NOx, CO, and other pollutants. National implementation is through the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG).
As a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, Natural Gas Turbine #2 captures waste heat for industrial processes, achieving higher overall efficiency than separate heat and power generation.