The ten power stations with the tallest standing cooling towers, from China's Pingshan II at 689 ft (210 m) to Germany's Lippendorf at 574 ft (175 m).
The tallest standing cooling tower in the world is at Pingshan II Power Station in Huaibei, China, at 210 m (689 ft). Kalisindh Thermal Power Station in India is second at 202.1 m, and Niederaussem Power Station in Germany third at 199.9 m. The ranking uses tower height from Wikipedia's List of tallest cooling towers, one entry per power station, retrieved October 2026.
Cooling towers are the hourglass-shaped shells that rise above many coal and nuclear power stations, venting waste heat from electricity generation. The tallest of them now exceed 200 metres, rivalling major office towers, yet they are single-purpose concrete structures. This list ranks the power stations with the tallest standing cooling towers, by the height recorded in Wikipedia's List of tallest cooling towers. Where a station has two identical towers (Kalisindh, Civaux, Golfech, Lippendorf), the station appears once and the facts note how many towers share that height. Demolished towers are left out.
The cooling tower at the Pingshan II coal power station in Huaibei, Anhui, China, is listed at 689 ft (210 m), the tallest in the world. Completed in 2020, it took the record from the twin towers at India's Kalisindh plant.
The Unit 1 and Unit 2 cooling towers at Kalisindh Thermal Power Station in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India, are each listed at 663 ft (202.1 m). Completed in 2012, they were the world's tallest until Pingshan II.
The cooling tower at Niederaussem Power Station in Bergheim, Germany, is listed at 656 ft (199.9 m; usually quoted as 200 m). Completed in 2002, it is the tallest cooling tower in Europe.
The cooling towers built for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Burke County, Georgia, are listed at 600 ft (182.9 m), the tallest in the United States. The source table gives their completion year as 2022.
The Unit 10 cooling tower at the Walsum coal power plant in Duisburg, Germany, is listed at 594 ft (181.1 m). It was completed in 2008.
The cooling tower of the new unit at Bełchatów Power Station in Poland is listed at 591 ft (180.1 m). It was completed in 2011 at Europe's largest lignite-fired power plant.
The two cooling towers at the Civaux Nuclear Power Plant in France are each listed at 589 ft (179.5 m), with a base diameter of 153 m. They were completed in 1996.
The two cooling towers at the Golfech Nuclear Power Plant in France are listed at 586 ft (178.6 m), with a base diameter of 146 m. The source table gives no completion year.
The cooling tower at the Datteln coal power station in Germany is listed at 584 ft (178.0 m). The source table gives its completion year as 2009.
The Unit 1 and Unit 2 cooling towers at Lippendorf Power Station in Saxony, Germany, are each listed at 574 ft (175.0 m). Both were completed in 2000.
| # | Name | Country | Location | Type | Year completed | Towers at this height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pingshan II Power Station | China | Huaibei, Anhui | Coal power station | 2020 | 1 |
| 2 | Kalisindh Thermal Power Station | India | Jhalawar, Rajasthan | Coal power station | 2012 | 2 |
| 3 | Niederaussem Power Station | Germany | Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia | Coal power station | 2002 | 1 |
| 4 | Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Units 3 and 4) | United States | Burke County, Georgia | Nuclear power station | 2022 | Units 3 and 4 (one table entry) |
| 5 | Walsum Power Plant | Germany | Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia | Coal power station | 2008 | 1 |
| 6 | Bełchatów Power Station (new unit) | Poland | Bełchatów, Łódź Voivodeship | Coal power station | 2011 | 1 |
| 7 | Civaux Nuclear Power Plant | France | Civaux, Vienne | Nuclear power plant | 1996 | 2 |
| 8 | Golfech Nuclear Power Plant | France | Golfech, Tarn-et-Garonne | Nuclear power plant | Not given in source | 2 |
| 9 | Datteln Power Station | Germany | Datteln, North Rhine-Westphalia | Coal power station | 2009 | 1 |
| 10 | Lippendorf Power Station | Germany | Lippendorf, Saxony | Coal power station | 2000 | 2 |
Source: Wikipedia, List of tallest cooling towers (revision 1363775371, retrieved 18 October 2026; table captioned 'current as of August 2020', with later demolitions noted). That table records heights in feet; we rank by those figures and convert to metres (1 ft = 0.3048 m, rounded to 0.1 m), so a tower listed at 600 ft is shown as 182.9 m. Pingshan II is listed as 689 ft (210 m). One entry per power station: identical towers at the same station are combined, with the number of towers given in the facts. Only structures still standing are ranked; the demolished THTR-300 tower (590 ft / 179.8 m, demolished 1991) would otherwise fall between Bełchatów and Civaux. Years are as given in the source table; where it gives none, we say so.
The cooling tower at Pingshan II Power Station in Huaibei, China, listed at 689 ft (210 m) and completed in 2020. Next are the twin towers at India's Kalisindh plant (663 ft, 202.1 m) and the tower at Germany's Niederaussem plant (656 ft, 199.9 m).
No. Only standing towers are ranked. The tallest demolished tower in the source table, the steel THTR-300 tower in Hamm-Uentrop, Germany (590 ft, about 179.8 m), was demolished in 1991; standing, it would rank between Bełchatów and Civaux.
A natural-draft cooling tower uses the buoyancy of warm, humid air to create an upward draft through its shell, drawing cooler outside air in at the base. That airflow cools water from the power station's condenser without mechanical fans.
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