Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list

Analysis of 2022 EU-ETS data shows that the ten largest emitters in the system are all coal power plants, which together account for 13% of total EU-ETS emissions and 25% of power sector emissions. Germany and Poland are the primary contributors, together responsible for two-thirds of coal power emissions. Three utilities—RWE, PGE, and EPH—dominate the sector, collectively accounting for 30% of power sector emissions. While coal emissions rose 6% in 2022 due to the energy crisis, the long-term trend remains a decline, with 2022 levels 40% lower than a decade ago.

• The ten largest emitters in the EU-ETS for 2022 were all coal power plants, collectively releasing 175 Mt CO2e. This represents approximately one quarter of all power sector emissions and 13% of total EU-ETS emissions. Seven of these ten plants have remained in the top ten every year for the last decade, with PGE’s Bełchatów in Poland topping the list since 2005.
• Coal power emissions in the EU-ETS increased by 6% in 2022 compared to 2021, releasing an extra 24 Mt CO2e. This uptick was driven by the energy crisis, high gas prices, and nuclear and hydro outages. Despite this, emissions remained below 2019 levels and are 40% lower than they were ten years ago.
• Emissions are highly concentrated geographically and by company. Germany and Poland accounted for two-thirds of coal power emissions in 2022, and together they represented 53% of total EU power sector emissions. Three utilities—RWE, PGE, and EPH—have been the top emitters for six consecutive years, together accounting for 30% of power sector emissions.
• The power sector's total emissions in 2022 were 739 million tonnes of CO2e (Mt CO2e), a 3% increase from 2021. Hard coal and lignite were the primary drivers, emitting 456 Mt CO2e (62% of the sector), while gas power emissions remained stable at 170 Mt CO2e (approximately 25%).

APA

Dizon, R., & Broadbent, H. (2023). Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eu-ets-2022

Chicago

Dizon, Reynaldo, and Hannah Broadbent. Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eu-ets-2022.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dizon |first1=Reynaldo |last2=Broadbent |first2=Hannah |title=Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list |publisher=Ember |date=23 May 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eu-ets-2022 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dizon2023repeat, author = {Dizon, Reynaldo and Broadbent, Hannah}, title = {{Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/eu-ets-2022}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }