Home / Europe / Poland / EC Wrocław

EC Wrocław

Coal power plant in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. Approximate location 51.1234, 17.0241.

CoalLower Silesian VoivodeshipPolandsubcriticalCO₂ measured

EC Wrocław is a 263 MW coal power station in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA. Based on reported annual generation of 675 GWh, it can supply roughly 193k homes. It ranks #58 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 1,100,199 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 256k 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).

263Source-backed capacity
675GWh reported / yr
192,828homes powered
1,100,199t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1019055.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEC Wrocław WRI
CountryPoland · Lower Silesian Voivodeship WRI
Coordinates51.1234, 17.0241 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity263 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPolska Grupa Energetyczna SA WRI
Commissioned1970 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr675 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,100,199 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#58 of 246 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#36 of 93 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.58× · 166 MW median · 93 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent192,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.8°C · HDD 3,341 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000103211); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 263 MW, EC Wrocław 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.

1,100,199 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

256kpassenger cars driven for a year
143khomes' yearly energy use
18 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2015: 569 GWh20152016: 677 GWh20162017: 675 GWh2017677 GWh

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 51.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.8°Cannual mean temp
3,341heating degree-days (base 18°C)
11cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
121 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 4 °CND: 1 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 36% 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: 72/100 — 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
19.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
362 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #36 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

Location

Coordinates 51.1234, 17.0241 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EC Wrocław?

EC Wrocław is a 263 MW source-record coal power plant in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, commissioned in 1970.

How much electricity does EC Wrocław generate?

EC Wrocław generates about 675 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can EC Wrocław power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 192,828 homes.

Who operates EC Wrocław?

EC Wrocław is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA.

How much CO₂ does EC Wrocław emit?

EC Wrocław has measured emissions of about 1,100,199 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.