A report on air pollution caused by coal-fired electricity production in Europe has been published

13 May 2021

The analysis published by Ember, a think tank operating in the field of energy, reveals the countries with the highest air pollution caused by coal-fired electricity generation in Europe. According to the statement, Türkiye and Ukraine are in the top three places in all pollutant types in the country-wide ranking. Western Balkan countries follow Türkiye and Ukraine, despite their relatively small scale. European Union countries such as Germany and Poland rank high in terms of nitrogen (NOx) pollution.

Coal used for electricity generation poses a threat to human health by emitting pollutants into the air and causes many premature deaths. The spread of these pollutants can reach thousands of kilometers. In Ember's analysis, 27 countries within the European Union, the United Kingdom, Energy Community member countries and Türkiye are evaluated. Air pollution data is sorted considering coal power plants and three pollutants (SO2, PM10, NOx).

  • Most of the PM10 pollution from coal-fired thermal power plants comes from power plants in Ukraine. Eight power plants operating in Ukraine are among the ten plants that emit the most pollution in terms of PM10.
  • In Europe, Ukraine (27%), Turkey (24%), Serbia (15%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (11%) lead the way in SO2 (sulfur dioxide) pollution caused by electricity generation from coal.
  • The ten coal power plants that emit the most sulfur dioxide account for nearly half (44%) of Europe's SO2 emissions from coal electricity generation. Three of these power plants are located in Serbia and Turkey, two in Bosnia, and one each in Ukraine and Macedonia.
  • NOx (nitrogen) pollution from coal electricity generation in Turkey constitutes one fifth of the European total (20%). Turkey is followed by Germany (16%), Ukraine (16%) and Poland (14%).
  • Western Balkan countries could not comply with the air pollution emission limits determined on a national scale for Energy Community member countries in 2019. Ukraine, which has many power plants among the dirtiest power plants in Europe, remained well below its ceiling limits.
  • Almost all of the 30 dirtiest coal power plants in Europe have been operating for more than 30 years; The only exception to this situation is Türkiye. Some power plants built in Turkey in the last decade are also at the top of the list.
  • Ukraine, Turkey and Western Balkan countries provide direct or indirect incentives to coal power plants. However, these incentives can be directed to renewable energy sources that can replace coal in the mentioned countries.

Latest
News & Updates

Customize Cookie Preferences

You can manage cookie categories separately

Mandatory Cookies

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of the website and cannot be disabled.

Analytical Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors use the website.

Services Used: Google Analytics

Marketing Cookies

These cookies are used to show you personalized ads and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.

Services Used: Google Ads, Facebook Pixel

For more information, you can check the Privacy Policy and Protection of Personal Data pages