Coal-fired power plants rank as EU’s biggest polluters

Greenhouse gas emissions rose by 6 percent in the EU’s ETS in 2022, compared to 2021, but remained lower than levels recorded in pre-pandemic 20219, a new study by energy thinktank Ember has shown.

Though coal-related emissions are on a downward trajectory, coal was responsible for over 60 percent of emissions in EU electricity generation last year, according to the study.

The EU’s ten biggest polluters are coal-fired power plants – most of these are located in Poland and Germany – and were responsible for 25 percent of the energy sector’s emissions in 2022, according to the Ember study.

Greece recorded a marginal 0.1 percent increase in overall greenhouse gas emissions, while the country’s lignite-fired power plant emissions increased by 1.1 percent in 2022.

Greece was ranked low in terms of green energy’s share of the energy mix, which reached 43 percent in 2022. Lignite-fired electricity production’s share of the energy mix reached 10.4 percent in Greece last year, the study showed.

Over the past six years, three energy companies have ranked as the EU’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, these being Germany’s RWE, Poland’s PGE and the Czech Republic’s EPH, the study showed.

RWE topped this list in 2022 with 75 Mt CO2e, a 3 percent increase compared to 2021. Greek power utility PPC emitted 15.9 Mt CO2 in 2022.