REN2301
Last year amount of electricity produced in CHP plants fell by 33 %
The latest data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau show that 2 015.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity were produced by combined heat and power (CHP)1 plants2 in 2022, which is 974.4 GWh or 33 % fewer than in 2021.
For the past ten years, the electricity produced by CHP plants has constituted more than a half of the total electricity produced in the country (except for 2012 and 2017), while in 2022 the share again constituted less than a half – 40 %.
Compared to 2021, last year the amount of heat produced by CHP plants fell by 16 % reaching 4 806.4 GWh or 62 % of the total amount of heat produced in Latvia (7 772.8 GWh). Downturn in the heat production may be explained by higher mean air temperature during the heating season as well as economizing due to the high energy prices.
Indicators characterizing activities of CHP plants in 2022
Installed electrical capacity of CHP plants | Number of CHP plants | Installed electrical capacity, MW | Electricity produced, GWh | Heat produced, GWh |
Total | 119 | 1 234.1 | 2 015.8 | 4 807.5 |
≤ 0.2 MW | 8 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 16.6 |
0.2 < P* ≤ 0.5 MW | 20 | 7.1 | 25.5 | 254.5 |
0.5 < P ≤ 1 MW | 37 | 30.6 | 111.6 | 240.4 |
1 < P ≤ 5 MW | 47 | 106.2 | 513.7 | 1 813.3 |
5 < P ≤ 20 MW | 3 | 27.7 | 97.3 | 149.0 |
> 20 MW | 4 | 1 061.5 | 1 265.4 | 2 333.7 |
*P – electrical capacity.
Decline in the number of CHP plants and total electrical capacity
In 2017 the greatest number of CHP plants of the past ten years was recorded – 204 plants, however it has been declining gradually since 2018. Compared to 2021, in 2022 the number of active CHP plants reduced by 34 and accounted for 119 in total. In 2022 several plants stopped or reduced their activity due to the high natural gas price while others discontinued their activity as no longer were granted a right to sell electricity within the framework of mandatory procurement.
In 2022 the total electrical capacity of CHP plants reached 1 234.1 MW, which is 34.0 MW fewer than in 2021 and 65.0 MW fewer than in 2017.
In 2022, 98 % of electrical capacity in public and 2 % in autoproducer CHP plants
In the past decade, the share of electrical capacity of public3 CHP plants (1 206.5 MW in 2022) on average took 97 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the country, while that of autoproducer4 CHP plants (27.6 MW in 2022) – 3 %. In 2022, 86 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants and 35 % of the total electrical capacity in the country were in four public CHP plants with installed electrical capacity exceeding 20 MW, three of them were located in Riga and one in Zemgale region.
Compared to 2021, in 2022 electrical capacity of CHP plants using renewables dropped by 19.3 MW
The share of electrical capacity in CHP plants fuelled by fossil fuels has reduced over the past ten years while that in CHP plants fuelled by renewable energy sources has increased, however in the last three years the share of fossil fuels has risen again – by 1.6 percentage points. The most notable increase in the electrical capacity of CHP plants using renewables was observed in 2012 and 2013 (of 80.2 MW). Between 2013 and 2022 the share of electrical capacity in CHP plants running on renewables varied between 9–12 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants. Compared to the year before, in 2022 electrical capacity of CHP plants using renewables dropped by 19.3 MW and constituted 132.5 MW. Biogas CHP plants witnessed the most notable reduction in electrical capacity – of 26 % compared to 2021.
Largest share of renewable CHP plant electrical capacity in Vidzeme and Zemgale
In 2022, the largest share of renewables-fuelled CHP plants (in terms of installed electrical capacity) was recorded in Vidzeme (94 %) and Zemgale (88 %), moreover the total electrical capacity of the region power plants constituted 25.4 MW and 53.3 MW, respectively. The share of electrical capacity of CHP plants running on renewables in Kurzeme and Latgale constituted 72 % and 57 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region (21.6 MW in Kurzeme and 18.8 MW in Latgale). The largest share of electrical capacity of CHP plants using fossil fuels was observed in Riga and Pierīga – 99 % and 44 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region, respectively (1 068.6 MW in Riga and 45.7 MW in Pierīga).
In 2022 CHP plants from renewable sources produced 7 % electricity less than in 2021
Last year, 801.3 GWh of electricity were produced in CHP plants using renewables, which is 60.5 GWh fewer than in 2021. Over the last ten years, electricity generation from renewables in CHP plants has increased by 60 %, with a peak in 2018 (943.7 GWh) which was followed by a gradual decline.
In 2022, the amount of electricity produced in CHP plants using renewables accounted for 22 % of the national electricity generated from renewables (15 % were generated in biomass CHP plants and 7 % in biogas CHP plants).
Highest amount of electricity produced in Riga, lowest in Kurzeme and Latgale
The highest amount of electricity was produced in Riga where during the past five years electricity production varied between 60 % and 71 % of the total electricity generated in CHP plants. Kurzeme and Latgale, in turn, had the lowest amount of electricity generated out of the total electricity produced in CHP plants – on average 4–6 % over the last five years. Over the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, electricity generation in Pierīga and Zemgale varied between 8 % and 15 %, while the share of electricity produced in CHP plants located in Vidzeme constituted 4–7 %.
Electricity produced in CHP plants by region, 2022
Fuelwood consumption in CHP plants for the first time exceeded natural gas consumption
Heat and electricity production in CHP plants mainly is based on the consumption of fuelwood (wood chips, wood waste and pelleted wood), natural gas, and biogas. Compared to 2021, in 2022 consumption of natural gas fell by 38 %, of biogas by 11 %, while of fuelwood only by 2 %. Over a ten-year period, the share of natural gas consumed in CHP plants has dropped from 79 % to 45 %, while the share of renewables has risen notably and in 2022 reached 53 %. Natural gas has been the most popular energy resource used in CHP plants so far, however in 2022 fuelwood consumption exceeded natural gas consumption for the first time.
Latvia aims5 at reaching 50 % of renewable energy in gross final consumption of energy and reducing Latvian energy dependency upon imports of energy resources by 2030. Share of renewable energy in Latvian final energy consumption accounted for 42.11 % in 2021.
Methodological explanations
1 Cogeneration (combined heat and power production) – simultaneous generation of electricity and heat in the same technological device and cycle using natural gas, biogas, solid fuels, liquid fuels and fuelwood.
2 A CHP plant consists of cogeneration devices and heat peak load boiler devices.
3 Public CHP plants are those the main activity whereof is production of electricity and heat (NACE Rev. 2, Division 35 – Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply).
4 Autoproducer CHP plants are generating heat for their own production and technological use and partly for sale (all Divisions of NACE Rev. 2., except for Division 35).
5 Cabinet Order on Latvia’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2021–2030 (in Latvian).
Media requests:
Communication Section
E-mail: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666
More information on data:
Ģertrūde Vīksna
Environment and Energy Statistics Section
E-mail: Gertrude.Viksna@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366823
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