Bełchatów is a 5,030 MW coal power station in Lodz Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA. Based on reported annual generation of 32,909 GWh, it can supply roughly 9.4 million homes. It ranks #1 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 26,248,237 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 6.1 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 50.4% of Poland's electricity; the national grid averages 589 gCO₂/kWh (31.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023817.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103216; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 5,030 MW, Bełchatów is well above the median coal plant in Poland (166 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
26,248,237 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms
This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:
Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).
Key facts
- Load factor
- 75%, from 32,909 GWh of reported generation; the median for 24 coal plants in Poland that report generation is 45%
- Generation trend
- 32,154 GWh in 2015 and 32,909 GWh in 2017 (+2%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2017: 32,909 GWh; 2016: 30,488 GWh
- Share of Poland coal capacity
- 10.5% of 47,959 MW across 93 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 33 of 58 dated coal plants in Poland are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 47% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 78/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #1 largest coal power plant of 93 in Poland by capacity.
Poland has 93 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 47,959 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- PW Kamieńsk · Wind · 31 MW · Lodz Voivodeship
- Gorzkowice · Wind · 12 MW · Lodz Voivodeship
- EC Zduńska Wola · Coal · 12 MW · Lodz Voivodeship
- FW Czarnożyły · Wind · 22 MW · Lodz Voivodeship
- EC Fortum · Coal · 68 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- Pątnów nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 2,800 MW · Łódź Voivodeship
Location
Coordinates 51.2679, 19.3265 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Bełchatów?
Bełchatów is a 5,030 MW coal power plant in Lodz Voivodeship, Poland, commissioned in 1981.
How much electricity does Bełchatów generate?
Bełchatów generates about 32,909 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Bełchatów?
Bełchatów is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA.
How much CO₂ does Bełchatów emit?
Bełchatów has measured emissions of about 26,248,237 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).