Coal-fired electricity generation in Czechia falls by nearly 10%, by more than half at Dětmarovice

Electricity generation from hard coal and lignite in Czechia fell by 9.4% in the first 11 months of this year, according to ENTSO-E Transparency data. Hard-coal plants contributed most significantly to the decline, cutting generation by 44%. Generation at Czechia’s largest hard-coal power plant fell by 62% year on year and will drop this year to approximately a fifth of what it generated in 2016.

Electricity generation statistics for this year will most likely be full of changes. Not only is generation at natural gas-fired power plants increasing substantially thanks to favourable market conditions, but changes are also occurring at coal-fired power plants.

According to preliminary data, generation from lignite shows a decline of roughly 5%. The drop in hard coal is even more pronounced, with total generation falling from last year’s 3.2 TWh to 1.8 TWh (a decline of approximately 44%).

The volume of generation is undoubtedly being affected primarily by the high price of emission allowances. Given that coal-fired power plants emit approximately 1 tonne of CO2 per MWh of electricity generated, coal-fired electricity generation is becoming substantially more expensive and operators’ margins are falling. Their ability to compete in the market is therefore becoming increasingly difficult.