Turkey has spent eight of the first nine months of 2024 as Europe’s largest producer of coal-fired electricity, overtaking Germany and Poland as it cranked up coal burning for power, Reuters reported.
Turkey generated a record 88 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity from coal from January through September, according to energy think tank Ember, which was 2 percent more than during the same period in 2023.
That total was 28 percent above the 69 TWh generated in Germany and 36 percent above the 65 TWh generated in Poland, Europe’s next largest coal-fired power producers.
With power systems across northern Europe set to make further cuts to coal use in power generation going forward, Turkey’s lead in Europe looks set widen and may establish southern Europe as a major hub for coal use in the region.
Turkey’s emissions from coal-fired power has also scaled new heights so far in 2024, hitting 88.4 million tons of carbon dioxide and 1.5 million tons more than in the same months last year.
Coal-fired emissions were 71.5 million tons of CO2 in Germany and 67 million tons in Poland, which in both cases were the lowest on record for the January to September period.
With coal-fired generation and emissions declining in most other European nations, Turkey’s share of the region’s coal-fired use and emissions climbed to a record of just over 19 percent so far this year, Ember data shows.
Continued coal burning during the winter — when demand for heating in Turkey peaks — may push Turkey’s share of regional emissions above 20 percent for the first time, especially if power systems elsewhere continue to curb coal use during that period.
Around 35 percent of Turkey’s electricity so far this year was generated from coal, which was the country’s largest single power fuel source.
That share was down from around 37 percent in 2023, due to higher output this year from both hydro dams and solar farms that allowed power firms to lift output from clean energy sources.
However, both hydro and solar output are set to fall to their annual lows over the coming winter in Turkey, which will force power suppliers to boost coal use towards year-end to meet system demand.