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EC Zgierz

Coal power plant in Lodz Voivodeship, Poland. Approximate location 51.8413, 19.3939.

CoalLodz VoivodeshipPolandsubcriticalCO₂ measured

EC Zgierz is a 39 MW coal power plant in Lodz Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 49k homes (estimated). It ranks #147 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1948, it is around 78 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 100,086 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 23k 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).

39Legacy source-record capacity
48,805homes powered (est.)
100,086t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1948commissioned (~78 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061496.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEC Zgierz WRI
CountryPoland · Lodz Voivodeship WRI
Coordinates51.8413, 19.3939 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity39 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPolska Grupa Energetyczna SA WRI
Commissioned1948 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
CO₂ emissions100,086 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#147 of 246 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#73 of 93 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.23× · 166 MW median · 93 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent48,805 calculated
Climate8.2°C · HDD 3,579 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 27/100 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 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 39 MW, EC Zgierz is below 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.

100,086 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

23kpassenger cars driven for a year
13khomes' yearly energy use
1.7 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).

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 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 51.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.2°Cannual mean temp
3,579heating degree-days (base 18°C)
15cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
192 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

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

Heating degree-days here run 46% 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

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)
27/100environmental-severity index
21.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
268 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 #73 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 51.8413, 19.3939 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EC Zgierz?

EC Zgierz is a 39 MW source-record coal power plant in Lodz Voivodeship, Poland, commissioned in 1948.

How many homes can EC Zgierz power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 48,805 homes (estimated).

Who operates EC Zgierz?

EC Zgierz is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA.

How much CO₂ does EC Zgierz emit?

EC Zgierz has measured emissions of about 100,086 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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