Rybnik is a 1,720 MW coal power station in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA. Based on reported annual generation of 6,766 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.9 million homes. It ranks #9 of 246 Poland power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 2,788,000 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 650k 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 WRI1019033.
Data status
Known data
Modelled source data
Calculated from 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 875 MW for Rybnik 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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,720 MW, Rybnik is well above the median coal plant in Poland (166 MW). Technically it is described as Siemens Energy: SGT5-9000HL; 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.
~2,788,000 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
- Load factor
- 45%, from 6,766 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 45% median for 24 coal plants in Poland
- Generation trend
- 7,094 GWh in 2015 and 6,766 GWh in 2017 (−5%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2016: 7,397 GWh; 2017: 6,766 GWh
- Share of Poland coal capacity
- 3.6% of 47,959 MW across 93 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 56 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)).
Reported generation trend
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 50.1°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 41% 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: 75/100 — 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 #6 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 Dębieńsko-Megawat · Gas · 16 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- EC Marcel · Coal · 37 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- ZPC Żory · Coal · 5 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- EC Knurów · Coal · 8 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- EC Suszec · Gas · 11 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
- EC Zofiówka · Coal · 64 MW · Silesian Voivodeship
Location
Coordinates 50.1331, 18.5232 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Rybnik?
Rybnik is a 1,720 MW coal power plant in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, Operating 2027.
How much electricity does Rybnik generate?
Rybnik generates about 6,766 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates Rybnik?
Rybnik is operated by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA.
How much CO₂ does Rybnik emit?
Rybnik has modelled emissions of about 2,788,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).