Coal-fired power plants in Germany and Poland were among Europe's biggest polluters in 2022, with the 10 largest emitters accounting for a quarter of the power sector's carbon footprint, according to new analysis by climate think tank Ember.

Poland's PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA, Germany's RWE AG and Czech-based Energetický a prumyslový holding a.s. (EPH) dominate emissions in the sector, Ember said in a May 23 report, with each emitting almost as much CO₂ equivalent as Italy's power sector in 2022.

PGE's Bełchatów plant, a 4.9-GW lignite facility in central Poland, remains at the top of the list of emitters in the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the EU's carbon market that covers power, aviation and industry and includes more than 10,000 installations. Bełchatów, Europe's largest coal plant, is slated to shut down in 2036.

Other coal plants on the list are RWE's west German facilities, including Neurath and Niederaussem, and several sites in east Germany, including Boxberg, owned by EPH subsidiary Lausitz Energiekraftwerke AG (LEAG).

RWE, PGE and EPH together make up 30% of the European power sector's emissions, mainly driven by lignite activities. Aside from in Germany and Poland, coal power activities are concentrated in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

In total, coal emissions rose 6% during 2022 but remained below 2019 levels, Ember said.

Germany making strides to quit coal

Germany has set a coal exit pathway by 2030 and has already achieved a 37% reduction in coal-related emissions over the last 10 years, according to Ember. Poland has not yet set an exit date and has seen a 12% drop in emissions from coal-fired power in the past decade.

"Poland will soon be left as the EU's biggest emitter if it doesn't change course," said Harriet Fox, energy and climate analyst at Ember. "Germany is making strides to cut its coal dependency, but Poland has yet to begin."

Germany has hatched a plan to replace coal-fired plants in the west of the country with hydrogen-ready gas turbines, in a deal between RWE and Norway's Equinor ASA.

What happens with the coal plants in eastern Germany is not yet clear, but owner LEAG has said it wants to drive transformation in the coal-heavy region by adding renewables to its sites. The company plans to install 7 GW of renewables in the area by 2030. One example of this is a new floating solar farm being built on a mining lake.

The coal revival during the energy crisis prevented Germany from reducing its emissions in 2022 despite a drop in electricity demand, and the expansion of an RWE coal mine led to large protests.

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