The Wilhelmshaven hard coal fired power plant belongs to E.ON Kraftwerke's power plant park with its headquarters in Hanover. E.ON Kraftwerke is Germany’s largest conventional power supplier and a subsidiary of E.ON Energie AG, Munich.

The Wilhelmshaven power plant is fueled with import coal. The coal is unloaded at the state-owned Niedersachsen Bridge and transported 3.5 kilometers via conveyor belts to the coal storage unit. The power plant has an output of 756 megawatt. It is one of E.ON Kraftwerke’s most productive sites and therefore a significant economic factor for the town of Wilhelmshaven and the region.

The power plant is one of the pioneers of flue gas purification. As early as 1978, Germany’s first DESOX plant was operated here. To this day, electric filters for dust removal, DENOX catalysts for the removal of nitrogen oxides and DESOX plants are all standard parts of the flue gas purification process at the Wilhelmshaven power plant.

The ash from the electric filters and the gypsum generated during sulfur removal are re-used in the construction industry.

The output of the power plant has been increased repeatedly thanks to efficiency-enhancing investments. In 1998, an output increase of 42 megawatt was achieved by installing a branch turbine, whereas the CO₂ emissions, based on the same amount of fuel, could be reduced by 200,000 tons per year.

In 2002, the entire control system was overhauled which has resulted in fully automatic operation.

The commissioning of the sewage sludge co-combustion plant in late 2004 for the disposal of local sewage sludge as well as the construction of a petroleum-coke co-combustion plant are further measures to reduce the consumption of hard coal.

All this ensures that the Wilhelmshaven power plant will play a key role in E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH’s endeavors to guarantee a responsible and environmentally friendly power supply in North Germany.