REN2401
Number of CHP plants down by 20 % and amount of electricity produced up by 3 %
The latest Central Statistical Bureau data show that in 2023 there were 95 active combined heat and power1 (CHP) plants2 in Latvia, which is 24 plants (20 %) fewer than in 2022, however the amount of electricity produced in CHP has risen by 67.5 GWh or 3 % over the year and reached 2083.3 gigawatt hours (GWh).
The share of electricity generated by CHP plants has constituted more than a half of the total electricity produced in the country for the past ten years (except for 2017), however in 2022 it became lower and in 2023 took just 33.2 % of the total electricity produced thus being the lowest figure registered since 2007.
Compared to 2022, last year the amount of heat produced by CHP plants fell by 20 % reaching 3 824.9 GWh or 53 % of the total amount of heat produced in Latvia (7 167.3 GWh). Downturn in the heat production was driven by the shorter heating season due to the warm April as well as economizing due to the high energy prices.
Indicators characterizing activities of CHP plants in 2023
Installed electrical capacity of CHP plants | Number of CHP plants | Installed electrical capacity, MW | Electricity produced, GWh | Heat produced, GWh |
Total | 95 | 1 159.5 | 2 083.3 | 3 824.8 |
≤ 0.2 MW | 5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 10.5 |
0.2 < P* ≤ 0.5 MW | 14 | 4.6 | 16.7 | 223.2 |
0.5 < P ≤ 1 MW | 35 | 28.3 | 77.2 | 194.9 |
1 < P ≤ 5 MW | 35 | 84.4 | 401.2 | 1 542 |
5 < P ≤ 20 MW | 3 | 27.7 | 88.7 | 139 |
> 20 MW | 3 | 1 013.8 | 1 498.8 | 1 715.2 |
*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 decade was recorded – 204 plants, however it has been declining gradually since 2018. In 2023 there were 95 active CHP plants, which is 24 plants fewer than in 2022. Several plants stopped or reduced their activity due to the high prices of energy resources.
In 2023 the total electrical capacity of CHP plants reached 1 159.5 MW, which is 74.6 MW fewer than in 2022 and 139.6 MW fewer than in 2017.
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 on average took 97 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the country (1 133.3 MW or 98 % in 2023), while that of autoproducer4 CHP plants 3 % (26.2 MW or 2 % in 2023). In 2023, 87 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants and 32 % of the total electrical capacity in the country were in three public CHP plants with the installed electrical capacity exceeding 20 MW; two of them were running in Riga and one in Zemgale region.
Electrical capacity of CHP plants using renewables dropped by 13.4 MW over the year
The share of electrical capacity in CHP plants fuelled by fossil fuels was reducing in the past ten years while that in CHP plants fuelled by renewable energy sources increasing. Over the period from 2020 to 2022 the share of fossil fuels started growing, however, in 2023 it fell by 0.6 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 2014 and 2023 the share of electrical capacity in CHP plants running on renewables varied between 10–12 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants. Compared to 2022, in 2023 electrical capacity of CHP plants using renewables dropped by 3.4 MW and constituted 129.1 MW. Biogas CHP plants witnessed the most notable reduction in electrical capacity – of 18 %.
Largest share of renewable CHP plant electrical capacity in Vidzeme and Zemgale
In 2023, the largest share of renewables-fuelled CHP plants (in terms of installed electrical capacity) was recorded in Vidzeme (100 %) and Zemgale (98 %), moreover the electrical capacity of the region's power plants totalled 20.5 MW and 47.9 MW, respectively. The proportion of electrical capacity of CHP plants running on renewables in Kurzeme and Pierīga constituted 77 % and 74 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region (20.4 MW in Kurzeme and 37.3 MW in Pierīga). The greatest share of electrical capacity of CHP plants using fossil fuels was observed in Riga and Latgale – 99 % and 34 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region, respectively (1 018.9 MW in Riga and 14.4 MW in Latgale).
Electricity generated in CHP plants from renewable sources down by 17.7 % over the year
Last year, CHP plants generated 659.1 GWh of electricity from renewables, which is 142.2 GWh fewer than in 2022. Electricity generation from renewables in CHP plants has decreased by 29 % over the past five years. The highest peak was registered in 2018 (943.7 GWh) which was followed by a gradual decline.
In 2023, the amount of electricity produced in CHP plants using renewables made 11 % of the national electricity generated from renewables.
Greatest amount of electricity produced in Riga, lowest in Kurzeme and Latgale
During the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, the largest amount of electricity was produced in Riga, namely, 60–71 % of the total electricity generated in CHP plants. CHP plants in Kurzeme and Latgale, in turn, generated the smallest amount of electricity, i.e., 4 % and 5 %. 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 %.
Consumption of natural gas exceeding fuelwood consumption again
Heat and electricity production in CHP plants is mainly based on natural gas, fuelwood (wood chips, wood waste and pelleted wood), and biogas. Compared to 2022, in 2023 consumption of biogas fell by 31 %, of fuelwood by 17 %, while of natural gas by just 2 %. Over the ten-year period, the share of natural gas consumed in CHP plants dropped from 73 % to 50 %, while the share of renewables went up to 53 % in 2022 and then fell by 4 percentage points in 2023. Last year, consumption of natural gas exceeded fuelwood consumption again.
Latvia aims5 at reaching 50 % of renewables in the gross final consumption of energy and reducing Latvian energy dependency upon imports of energy resources by 2030. Renewables made 43.32 % of the Latvian final energy consumption in 2022.
Methodological explanations
1 Combined heat and power production (cogeneration) refers to 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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