Bielsko-Biala power station is a 166 MW coal power station in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by TAURON Cieplo SP zoo [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 208k homes (estimated). It ranks #80 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1960, it is around 66 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 183,245 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 43k 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 GEM_coa_bielskobiala_polan.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 105 MW for Bielsko-Biala power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 166 MW, Bielsko-Biala power station is around 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.
183,245 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
- Share of Poland coal capacity
- 0.3% of 47,959 MW across 93 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 14 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)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Poland
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by TAURON Cieplo SP zoo [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.8°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 60% 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: 83/100 — 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 #47 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
- EC Bielsko-Biała 1 · Gas · 77 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- EC Bielsko-Północ 2 · Oil · 55 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- Porąbka · Hydro · 13 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- Porąbka-Żar · Hydro · 552 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- Tresna · Hydro · 21 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- Czeczott power station · Coal · 1,000 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
Location
Coordinates 49.811696, 19.052943 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Bielsko-Biala power station?
Bielsko-Biala power station is a 166 MW coal power plant in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, commissioned in 1960.
Who operates Bielsko-Biala power station?
Bielsko-Biala power station is operated by TAURON Cieplo SP zoo [100%].
How much CO₂ does Bielsko-Biala power station emit?
Bielsko-Biala power station has measured emissions of about 183,245 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).