Germany oil power plant capacity
Germany oil power plant capacity stood at 3.58 GW in 2025, according to Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE – energy-charts.info. It is one of the indicators in the Installed conventional capacity table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2002 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Installed conventional capacity table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal and nuclear | |||||||||||
| Oil | 3.58 | 3.71 | 4.32 | 4.38 | 4.38 | 4.56 | 4.58 | 4.53 | 4.8 | 5.04 | |
| Other non-renewable | 2.45 | 2.43 | 2.43 | 2.43 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.38 | 2.38 | 2.37 | 2.32 |
Understanding germany oil power plant capacity
Petroleum-fueled electricity generation assets are quantified by this indicator, measured in GW at the close of the reference period. This specific classification within the thermal cohort captures heavy fuel oil boilers, diesel combustion engines, and turbines operating on liquid distillates. Unlike baseload coal or flexible gas, this infrastructure acts primarily as an extreme peaking or emergency reserve. The scope covers permanent facilities connected to the transmission network, completely excluding mobile generators, maritime auxiliary engines, and small-scale off-grid backup systems.
Since these installations function almost entirely as a backup mechanism, long-term year-on-year comparisons are the correct approach for monitoring the phase-out of legacy assets. Annual periodicity perfectly captures this slow evolution, making intra-year analysis impossible. Revisions are exceptionally rare given the absence of new construction in this sector. A major analytical pitfall is confusing this static potential with grid activity; a steady GW figure can easily coincide with an extended period where the listed stations generate zero commercial electricity.
Frequently asked questions
- Are backup generators at hospitals or data centers counted?
- Small-scale, off-grid backup systems designed purely for local emergency use are not included in the public transmission network statistics.
- Why do the figures change so rarely?
- This category consists almost entirely of legacy emergency infrastructure with virtually no new construction taking place.
- Can these plants run on other fuels?
- While some units possess multi-fuel capabilities, they are only included here if liquid petroleum is registered as their primary operational energy source.