The Westfalen power plant is a large coal-fired power plant of RWE Power AG (until 2000 VEW) in Hamm-Schmehausen at the eastern end of the Datteln-Hamm canal. The power plant consists of a total of three units with a total net capacity of 588 megawatts.
The power plant began operation in 1963 with two 152-megawatt units (A and B). In 1969, another unit (C) with a net capacity of 284 megawatts was added to the site. While units A and B were still designed for mixed firing with oil, unit C was designed initially for the sole use of hard coal.
Meanwhile, all units are decommissioned but still considered as a system-relevant and to be handled as spare for the national grid reserve.
March 2021, 1/12
![](http://hwfoto.hwhome.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/03192021-March12pics.jpg)
May 2021, 2-4/12
In May I took a trip round the power plant to take a view from different angles. The first one is a view from a bridge near Südfelde over the Datteln-Hamm canal looking East over the industrial harbor of Uentrop towards the power plant.
![](http://hwfoto.hwhome.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/05172021-May12pics.jpg)
The second view is looking North from the woodlands of Eilmsen. It is featuring a „lost“ bridge from Strecke 77, a planned Reichsautobahn that was to connect the industrial Ruhr-area with Upper Silesia, never finished during the turmoil of Second World War.
![](http://hwfoto.hwhome.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/05172021-2-May12pics.jpg)
The third view is looking South from the floodplain of river Lippe across green meadows and guided by a row of willow trees.
![](http://hwfoto.hwhome.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/05172021-1-May12pics.jpg)