Coal plants had a difficult year: output fell sharply at the market’s No. 2 player

According to available data, coal-fired power generation in the Czech Republic fell by 12 % last year. Output from hard-coal-fired plants declined significantly, with these sources generating just 0,64 TWh in 2024, compared with 1,77 TWh the year before. The decline at lignite-fired plants was more moderate, but output still fell from 25,13 TWh to 23 TWh. Which of the major coal plants contributed most significantly to the decline?

The power sector in 2024 was characterised by declining electricity generation from lignite- and hard-coal-fired sources. For economic reasons, they were finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the wholesale market. Relatively low electricity prices for most of the year were one factor, while relatively high emissions allowance prices were another.

Sev.en was the first company to draw attention to the problem of uneconomic operation. In March last year, it warned that it was considering closing its Počerady and Chvaletice power plants as early as the end of the 2025 heating season, i.e. in the following months.