Plzenska energetika ELU III — Czech Republic

Plzenska energetika ELU III is a 65 MW coal power plant in Plzensky, Czech Republic. It is operated by Plzenska Energetika As. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 81k homes (estimated). It ranks #42 of 481 Czech Republic power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 270,560 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 63k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 35.2% of Czech Republic's electricity; the national grid averages 401 gCO₂/kWh (59.2% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1075827.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000101797; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 65 MW, Plzenska energetika ELU III is below the median coal plant in Czech Republic (165 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.

~270,560 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

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

Key facts

Share of Czech Republic coal capacity

0.7% of 9,811 MW across 32 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

11 of 28 dated coal plants in Czech Republic 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 Czech Republic

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

Owner

Operated by Plzenska Energetika As.

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 49.7°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 54% 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: 81/100 — 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 #26 largest coal power plant of 32 in Czech Republic by capacity.

Czech Republic has 32 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 9,811 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Plzeň Křimice B Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1.2 MW · Plzensky
• Plzeň Univerzitní Solar Power Plant · Solar · 1 MW · Plzensky
• Plzenska Tepalrenska · Coal · 137 MW · Plzensky
• Plzen CHP power station · Coal · 137 MW · Plzensky
• Sulkov Solar Power Plant · Solar · 20 MW · Plzensky
• Chotíkov Waste power station · Biomass · 7.5 MW · Plzensky

Location

Coordinates 49.7395, 13.3455 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions