EUROPE: Turkey is the largest producer of coal-fired electricity in Europe

Turkey has become Europe’s largest producer of coal-fired electricity in the first four months of 2024, overtaking Germany, according to data published by climate and energy think tank Ember.

Between January and April 2024, Turkey’s coal-fired electricity production of 36 TWh (terrawatt-hours) surpassed the German utility companies’ 34.6 TWh, as well as the 31.3 TWh of -the third user of coal in Europe, Poland.

The main reason for Turkey’s rise in the regional rankings is the 32% drop in coal use in Germany in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Turkey’s total coal-fired electricity production was about 3% lower than in January-April 2023, but about 6% higher than in the first four months of 2019.

In contrast, coal-fired electricity generation in Germany and Poland in January-April 2024 was 42% and 19.4% lower, respectively, than in the first four months of 2019, indicating reduced coal use in recent years in Europe.

The rapid expansion of clean energy generation capacity in Germany, Poland and other major economies in northern and western Europe has helped reduce coal use.

Between 2022 and 2023, clean energy generation capacity increased by 9% in Germany, by 21.4% in Poland, by 21% in the Netherlands, by 9.6% in Italy and by 8% in Spain, according to Ember .

In contrast, clean energy generation capacity in Turkey increased by 4.5% from 2022 to 2023.

Last year, clean energy generation capacity growth was also limited in the Czech Republic (1.1%), Romania (1.4%) and Serbia (3.6%), underscoring the deepening clean energy development gap between the states rich and developing ones in the European region.

In addition to the slow growth of clean energy generation capacity, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Bulgaria have some of the most coal-dependent power generation systems in Europe.