Since 1964, there has been a traction power generation station consisting of three blocks with an electric power of 303 MW in Datteln. In May 2007, Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG, Area Mitte (Centre), was awarded the contract for the construction of a new power plant for E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH, Gelsenkirchen, in a joint venture. The district heating power will be 2550 MW, the net electric power 1054 MW. The plant consists of the main components power house with steam turbine, substation, boiler house with a steam generator, electrostatic filter, flue gas desulfurization system (FGD plant) and cooling tower as well as various service buildings.

The construction of the 178 m high hyperbolic cooling tower continues an old W&F tradition. In the air intake area, the hyperbole shells, which were placed on top of each other to generate a natural draft, rest on 36 radial supports, which in turn transfer the loads from their own weight and the wind to a ring foundation. The shell thicknesses were optimized following stability and resonance frequency calculations; they were mainly 26 cm, increasing to 1.00 m at the bottom and decreasing to 19 cm at the cooling tower head. Cleaned exhaust gases are also discharged through the cooling tower. Because of residual contents of sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide, the shells had to be built of a concrete with a higher resistance to acids.