Rybnik Power Station

Rybnik Power Station
Company type	State-owned (formerly), Privatized in 2001
Industry	Energy
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Rybnik, Poland
Products	Electricity generation
Parent	Électricité de France, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg (since 2001)
Website	http://www.elektrownia.rybnik.pl/en/index.php?page=42

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Rybnik Power Station, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

Rybnik Power Station is a coal-fired facility situated in Rybnik, Poland, primarily fueled by hard coal. Constructed during the 1970s, this power plant has a total installed capacity of 1,775 MW and generates around 9 TWh of electricity each year. The site is equipped with two cooling towers alongside two flue gas stacks, which stand at heights of and .

Located in Upper Silesia (Silesian Voivodeship), Poland's most industrialized region abundant in coal deposits and power generation facilities, Rybnik Power Station holds the distinction of being the largest power generation complex in the vicinity.

History

Between 1972 and 1978, the station's eight generating units were progressively commissioned. In 1989, it separated from the Southern Power District to form the state-owned entity known as Elektrownia Rybnik. Later, in 2001, the company underwent privatization and was acquired by Électricité de France and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg.

Technical data

Installed capacity: 1775 MW (representing approximately 7% of Poland’s total capacity)
Annual electricity output: 9,436,135 MWh
Comprises eight coal-fired units rated at 225 MW each, consuming between 4 and 4.5 million tonnes of coal annually

Development

Plans were made for a new 910 MW generating unit at Rybnik Power Plant, targeting operational commencement in 2018 with up to 8% of its fuel mix from coal-biomass co-firing. However, since December 19, 2012, this initiative has been put on hold. EdF identified several principal obstacles:

The European Commission declined to include the proposed coal unit within Poland’s National Investment Plan, thereby blocking EdF’s ability to offset CO2 emission allowances under EU ETS regulations.
Poland’s renewable energy laws reduced incentives for coal and biomass co-firing.
A less favorable economic environment combined with lower-than-anticipated energy demand compared to EdF’s initial forecasts.

The planned unit was expected to emit roughly 4.7 million tonnes of CO2 annually and entail an investment of EUR 1.8 billion, intended to be financed through EdF’s own capital resources. Nevertheless, cost escalations following the Fukushima incident alongside economic downturns have cast doubt on EdF’s capacity to fund the project without external support. Alstom secured a contract valued at €900 million to supply the boiler and turbine hall.

Social effect

Communities residing near the power station experience considerable air pollution concerns within the Silesia region, particularly around Rybnik. In November 2011, the European Commission initiated legal proceedings against Poland for failing to enforce the Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe Directive (2008/50/EC), which limits PM10 concentrations to no more than 50 µg/m³ on more than 35 occasions annually. This threshold is regularly exceeded in metropolitan areas across Poland including Rybnik.

Local inhabitants have pursued litigation against the Polish government due to insufficient air quality management measures. The health repercussions linked to coal mining, transportation, and combustion processes manifest as elevated rates of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses among nearby populations, coupled with social issues such as displacement and erosion of community cohesion.

Environmental effect

Coal remains a dominant fuel source for electricity generation worldwide, notably in countries like China and the United States where it accounted for 68.7% and 49% of power production respectively as of 2006. The combustion process significantly degrades air quality through emissions including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), as well as toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. Globally, coal burning is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions contributing substantially to climate change at both regional and global scales. Furthermore, activities related to coal extraction and burning disrupt water resources by altering groundwater dynamics and releasing pollutants detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. The Silesia region—including Rybnik city—faces pronounced air quality challenges directly associated with these environmental impacts.

References

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