The Datteln power station site is steeped in tradition. The cornerstone for generating electricity was laid here as early as 1964.

The construction of the Datteln 4 power plant is oriented towards the North Rhine-Westphalia Reference Power Plant Project, setting new standards in coal-based power production in a quest to improve supply security and climate conservation while enhancing noise abatement with an efficiency of 45.5%.

Thanks to the facility's high efficiency, CO2 emissions will be reduced by nearly 30%.

Datteln 4 is intended to go into operation as a single-block plant with a gross installed capacity of 1,100 MW in 2011, replacing Blocks 1 to 3 in Datteln along with other installations in the Ruhr region.