Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list

The report identifies that the ten largest emitters in the EU-ETS are all coal power plants, which together account for 25% of the power sector's emissions. While 2022 saw a 6% increase in coal emissions due to the energy crisis, the long-term trend remains a decline. Germany and Poland dominate the emissions landscape, and three utilities—RWE, PGE, and EPH—have remained the top emitters for six consecutive years.

• The ten largest emitting installations in the EU-ETS for 2022 were all coal power plants, collectively responsible for 13% of total EU-ETS emissions and approximately 25% of all power sector emissions.
• Germany and Poland are the primary drivers of coal emissions in the region, accounting for two-thirds of all coal power emissions in 2022. Together, these two countries were responsible for 53% of total EU power sector emissions in 2022.
• Three utilities—RWE (Germany), PGE (Poland), and EPH (Czechia)—have been the top emitters for six years in a row, together accounting for 30% of power sector emissions. Lignite plants are responsible for the majority (79%) of emissions from these three companies.
• Power sector emissions in the EU-ETS increased by 3% in 2022, reaching 739 million tonnes of CO2e. This was driven by a 6% rise in coal plant emissions (an extra 24 Mt CO2e) resulting from the energy crisis, nuclear outages, and drought-related hydro failures.
• Despite the 2022 uptick, the long-term trend for coal power emissions is declining, with 2022 levels being 40% lower than they were a decade ago.
• Poland has shown lower ambition in reducing power sector emissions compared to its neighbors; its share of EU-ETS coal power emissions rose from 19% in 2013 to 28% in 2022, while Germany's share remained stable at 40%.

APA

Fox, H., Dizon, R., & Broadbent, H. (2023). Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/05/Repeat-Offenders_-EU-ETS-2022-report-1.pdf

Chicago

Fox, Harriet, Reynaldo Dizon, and Hannah Broadbent. Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/05/Repeat-Offenders_-EU-ETS-2022-report-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fox |first1=Harriet |last2=Dizon |first2=Reynaldo |last3=Broadbent |first3=Hannah |title=Repeat offenders: coal power plants top the EU emitters list |publisher=Ember |date=23 May 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/05/Repeat-Offenders_-EU-ETS-2022-report-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fox2023repeat, author = {Fox, Harriet and 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/app/uploads/2023/05/Repeat-Offenders_-EU-ETS-2022-report-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }