Power plants and combined heat and power plants burning fossil fuels are a foundation of the Polish energy sector. A new version of our open database on these facilities, the starting point of all energy transition analyses, is now available at energy.instrat.pl. In addition to updating the data for 2020-2023, the database has gained new columns with more information and new functions.
The new database and charts are found at the same location as the previous version:
Update: February 2025 (original article from October 2024)
As part of the update, missing data for 2023 has been added: emissions, heat generation, electricity generation from non-CDGUs, technical costs of individual types of power plants, and the SRMC calculated based on them. The statuses of units and the dates of commissioning, shutdowns, and capacity contracts expiration have been updated to reflect the current state.
Basic facts and figures
The national fleet comprises 196 units in 19 power plants and 46 combined heat and power plants. 256 units (including retired and planned units) have been collected in the database. These thermal units produce electricity (and usually heat) by burning fuels.
- Approximately 90% of the power units are suitable for cogeneration, i.e., they can generate electricity and heat.
- The average age of active power plant units in Poland is 35 years, with hard coal units being the oldest, averaging 42 years.
- There are 14 units under construction or in the planning phase – 13 are gas units, and 1 is a new coal unit.
The version of the power plant and combined heat and power plant database published in November for the first time included data on emissions to the atmosphere of six harmful substances. In the update from 06.02.2025, we have supplemented the data for 2023.
In the same year, the five largest power plants were responsible for more than half of the total CO2 emissions of the facilities in the database, with the largest emitter – the Bełchatów Power Plant – accounting for nearly a quarter.
The database of power plants in Poland is open access – we encourage you to explore and draw your conclusions. Below are visualisations of selected information from the database.
New data and functionalities of the database
Up until October, the previous release of the database was available with data for 2021, covering essential information (such as owner, fuel, capacity, type, state, location), technical information (fuel, efficiency, annual production, capacity factor, emissions), dates (commissioning, closure or Power Market contracts) and costs (fuel, transport, ETS, SRMC).
The new version of the database offers access to data from 2020-2023. Additionally, the energy.instrat.pl team has introduced several new features. As of today, the database on power plants in Poland includes, among other things:
- The new version of the database introduces a more detailed level of data aggregation. It now offers a division into power plants and blocks, significantly enhancing the presentation of additional information. This update also makes it easier for users to filter and use the spreadsheet.
- Data on annual emissions from power stations so that everyone can check how much is emitted per year by the power station in their area or all of them in Poland combined. In addition to CO2, the database contains information on nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, mercury and dust (PM10)
- Heat production, adaptation to cogeneration, and number of additional district heating boilers – an indispensable component, given that 90% of the units can generate both electricity and useful heat
- Updated emissions, operating costs, and utilisation factor calculations with better assumptions (e.g. efficiency) and a wide range of parameters for users to see.
It is worth mentioning that the current version has undergone a much more extensive feedback process from independent partners, and all calculations and parameters used in them are presented in tables.
