Home / Europe / Czech Republic / Vresova TPS power station

Vresova TPS power station

Coal power plant in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Approximate location 50.255816, 12.695936.

CoalKarlovy VaryCzech RepublicsubcriticalCO₂ measured

Vresova TPS power station is a 400 MW coal power station in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. It is operated by Sokolovská Uhelná AS [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 501k homes (estimated). It ranks #15 of 481 Czech Republic power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,243,214 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 290k 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).

400MW installed capacity
500,571homes powered (est.)
1,243,214t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1995commissioned (~31 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityVresova TPS power station GEM-coal
CountryCzech Republic · Karlovy Vary GEM-coal
Coordinates50.255816, 12.695936 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity400 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerSokolovská Uhelná AS [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1995 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal
CO₂ emissions1,243,214 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#15 / 481 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#9 / 32 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.42× · 165 MW · n=32 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent500,571 calculated
Climate7.2°C · HDD 3,922 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 400 MW, Vresova TPS power station is well above 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.

1,243,214 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

290kpassenger cars driven for a year
162khomes' yearly energy use
21 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 Czech Republic

Pocerady power station: 1,000 MW1kPocerady p…Melnik power station: 960 MW960Melnik pow…Chvaletice power station: 820 MW820Chvaletice…Detmarovice power station: 800 MW800Detmarovic…Prunerov: 800 MW800PrunerovTusimice power station: 800 MW800Tusimice p…Ledvice power station: 770 MW770Ledvice po…Kladno: 457 MW457Kladno

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

Owner

Operated by Sokolovská Uhelná AS [100%].

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.

7.2°Cannual mean temp
3,922heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
526 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 7 °CON: 2 °CND: -1 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 60% 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: 83/100 — 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)
25/100environmental-severity index
18.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
456 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 #9 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

Location

Coordinates 50.255816, 12.695936 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Vresova TPS power station?

Vresova TPS power station is a 400 MW coal power plant in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, commissioned in 1995.

How many homes can Vresova TPS power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 500,571 homes (estimated).

Who operates Vresova TPS power station?

Vresova TPS power station is operated by Sokolovská Uhelná AS [100%].

How much CO₂ does Vresova TPS power station emit?

Vresova TPS power station has measured emissions of about 1,243,214 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.