Remaining EU coal power polluters

The document analyzes the EU's trajectory toward a coal phase-out by 2030. While overall planned coal generation in the EU is expected to drop by 83% from 2015 to 2030, a small group of countries—Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria—will remain the primary polluters, accounting for over 95% of the EU's planned coal electricity generation in 2030. The report highlights the disparity between these 'laggards' and the rest of the EU-27, noting that while most countries are aligning with 1.5C goals, Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria have set phase-out dates far beyond 2030.

• By 2030, Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria are projected to be responsible for more than 95% of the EU's planned electricity generation from coal, with Poland accounting for 63%, Czechia 18%, and Bulgaria 14%.
• There is a significant gap in coal reduction targets: while the majority of EU-27 countries are planning a 99% reduction in coal power output between 2015 and 2030, Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria are only offering a combined decline of 42%.
• Overall planned electricity generation from coal in the EU is expected to fall by 83% from 2015 to 2030, decreasing from 705 TWh to 118 TWh. This represents a 58% reduction in planned 2030 coal generation compared to the figures submitted in the original National Energy & Climate Plans (NECPs), which would have seen 282 TWh of coal power in 2030.
• The reduction in planned coal generation since the submission of NECPs is estimated to prevent between 89 and 152 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2030, which is equivalent to removing 53 to 90 million cars from the road.
• Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria have set coal exit dates that deviate significantly from the 2030 target required to limit global warming to 1.5C: Poland has confirmed an exit by 2049, while Czechia and Bulgaria have targeted dates around 2038 or 2040.

APA

Ember (2021). Remaining EU coal power polluters. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/remaining-eu-coal-power-polluters

Chicago

Ember. Remaining EU coal power polluters. 2021. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/remaining-eu-coal-power-polluters.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Remaining EU coal power polluters |date=8 December 2021 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/remaining-eu-coal-power-polluters |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2021remaining, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Remaining EU coal power polluters}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/remaining-eu-coal-power-polluters}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }