Located on the banks of the Elbe river, the Stade NPP was commissioned in 1972. It was the first nuclear facility in Germany to generate heat as well as power. The plant has been co-generating district heating for a neighboring salt works since 1984.

The co-generation of heat reduces the plant's available electrical capacity by 10 megawatts to 630 megawatts. Stade ranks alongside the Würgassen plant as one of the first nuclear power plants used for commercial power production in Germany. E.ON Kernkraft holds a two-thirds stake in the Stade facility, with the remaining third belonging to Vattenfall Europe. The Stade plant was decommissioned on November 14, 2003. While the decision was primarily made for commercial reasons it was also a response to changes in government policy.