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EC Zabrze

Coal power plant in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. Approximate location 50.2956, 18.8099.

CoalSilesian VoivodeshipPolandCO₂ modelled

EC Zabrze is a 106 MW coal power station in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by Fortum. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 133k homes (estimated). It ranks #98 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 179,100 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 42k 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).

106Legacy source-record capacity
132,651homes powered (est.)
179,100t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061528.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEC Zabrze WRI
CountryPoland · Silesian Voivodeship WRI
Coordinates50.2956, 18.8099 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity106 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFortum WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions179,100 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#98 of 246 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#56 of 93 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.64× · 166 MW median · 93 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent132,651 calculated
Climate8.4°C · HDD 3,498 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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 75 MW for Zabrze power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: C_REVIEW_MANUAL - recommended action: manual_review_only - confidence: unknown. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 106 MW, EC Zabrze is below the median coal plant in Poland (166 MW). 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.

~179,100 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

42kpassenger cars driven for a year
23khomes' yearly energy use
3.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Poland

Bełchatów: 5,030 MW5kBełchatówKozienice: 3,994 MW4kKozieniceKozienice: 2,673 MW3kKozieniceTurów: 1,948 MW2kTurówDolna Odra: 1,830 MW2kDolna OdraRybnik: 1,720 MW2kRybnikOpalenie power station: 1,660 MW2kOpalenie p…Połaniec: 1,657 MW2kPołaniec

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Fortum. 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 50.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.4°Cannual mean temp
3,498heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
280 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 3 °CND: 0 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 76/100 — 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
19.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
439 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 #56 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 50.2956, 18.8099 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EC Zabrze?

EC Zabrze is a 106 MW source-record coal power plant in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.

How many homes can EC Zabrze power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 132,651 homes (estimated).

Who operates EC Zabrze?

EC Zabrze is operated by Fortum.

How much CO₂ does EC Zabrze emit?

EC Zabrze has modelled emissions of about 179,100 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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