Last year renewables generated more power than lignite in Poland

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Lesko photovoltaic farm, PGE. Picture by PGE Energetyka Odnawialna
Lesko photovoltaic farm, PGE. Picture by PGE Energetyka Odnawialna

According to the report on the National Electricity System, published by the Polish Energy Networks (PSE), in 2023, Polish renewable sources (not counting hydropower) produced more electricity than power plants that run on lignite.

Currently Poland’s power generation relies on coal and gas at 75 percent, but the participation of green energy goes up every year.

According to data published by the transmission system operator, last year renewables generated the most energy in history – 35 TWh.  This represented 21.5% of the total production. The share of electricity production from lignite coal was 21.1 percent and for the first time was lower than from renewable sources. In 2022 renewables generated 15.8 percent and 26.8 percent from lignite.

According to the PSE report, in 2023 bituminous coal power plants generated the most energy – 46.8 percent. In total, 68 percent of electricity was generated from both types of coal. Gas-fired power plants accounted for 8.3 percent of production, and hydro for 2.2 percent. Domestic electricity production was 163.6 TWh.

Installed capacity in the National Electricity System (KSE) reached 66.3 GW, including renewables (40 percent), hard coal (37 percent), lignite (12.2 percent), gas-fired power plants (less than 7 percent). The capacity of sources running on hard coal increased by 200 MW, gas – on gas by 1.4 GW, and renewables by more than 5 GW.

Polish Electricity Networks / Jacek Perzyński