Kraftwerk Vockerode was a large lignite-fired power plant located in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, near the River Elbe. For several decades it formed an essential part of the electricity supply system of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR/DDR).

Construction of the power plant began in the late 1930s, prior to the Second World War. During the 1940s and 1950s, the site was expanded and further developed to meet the growing demand for electricity. The plant was designed to burn locally mined brown coal (lignite) from the Central German mining region, a resource that was abundant and strategically important for East Germany’s energy independence.

Over time, Kraftwerk Vockerode became one of the major base-load power stations in the GDR/DDR. The complex consisted of multiple boiler houses and turbine halls that operated continuously, supplying electricity to cities, industry and railway infrastructure. Large cooling systems and extensive auxiliary buildings supported round-the-clock power generation.

From a technical perspective, the plant followed the standard process of its era: lignite was burned in large boilers to produce steam, which drove turbines connected to electrical generators. While effective for large-scale electricity production, this technology resulted in high emissions and relatively low efficiency by modern standards.

After German reunification in 1990, Kraftwerk Vockerode was assessed under Western environmental and efficiency regulations. The plant was considered outdated and environmentally non-compliant, and modernization was deemed economically unviable. As a result, the power station was shut down in the early 1990s.

In the years that followed, most of the facility was demolished, gradually removing the massive industrial structures from the landscape. Today, Kraftwerk Vockerode survives mainly through photographs, historical records and industrial heritage documentation, standing as a reminder of the scale and significance of coal-based power generation in the GDR/DDR.