Amount of electricity generated by CHP plants gone up by 10.4 %

Central Statistical Bureau data show that the amount of electricity generated by combined heat and power¹ (CHP) plants² reached 2300.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2024. This is 217.2 GWh, or 10.4 %, more than in 2023 and makes up 36.4 % of the total electricity produced in the country. Moreover, CHP plants generated 51.0 % of the total heat amount. The share of renewable energy resources consumed by CHP plants increased steadily over the past decade, reaching 45.5 % in 2024 and reflecting a transition towards more sustainable energy solutions.

CHP plants contribute to climate change mitigation by generating lower greenhouse gas emissions and operating with greater energy efficiency. Over the past ten years, both the amount and the share of electricity generated by CHP plants have fluctuated. In 2019, the amount and share of electricity generated in CHP plants reached their highest levels – 4 173.7 GWh and 64.8 % respectively. This was followed by a decline, particularly in 2022, when the amount fell to 2 015.8 GWh and the share to 40.1 %. However, in 2023 and 2024 generation of electricity in CHP plants increased.

In terms of heat production, CHP plants generated 3 682.9 GWh in 2024, accounting for 51.0 % of the total heat produced in the country and representing a decrease of 3.7 % compared to 2023.

Indicators characterizing activities of CHP plants in 2024

* P – electrical capacity.

Refer to the OSP database: ENB120

Number of CHP plants declines gradually

In 2024, there were 89 active CHP plants in Latvia. It is six plants fewer than in 2023 and 2.3 times fewer than in 2017, when the greatest number of CHP plants was recorded – 204. Several CHP plants have ceased or scaled down their operations in response to high energy prices and the end of state support, which had previously ensured the compulsory purchase of electricity.

In 2024, the total electrical capacity of CHP plants was 1 155.1 MW, which is 4.4 MW fewer than in 2023 and 144.0 MW fewer than in 2017, when the highest electrical capacity was recorded (1 299.1 MW).

97.6 % of total electrical capacity in public CHP plants

In the past decade, electrical capacity of public³ CHP plants on average made up 97.5 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the country (1 127.1 MW in 2024) and that of autoproducer⁴ CHP plants around 2.5 % (28.0 MW in 2023). Three public CHP plants with the installed electrical capacity exceeding 20 MW ensured 87.4 % of the total electrical capacity of CHP plants and 28.7 % of the total electrical capacity in the country; two of them were running in Riga and one in Zemgale region.

Electrical capacity of fossil CHP plants has declined over the past decade

Electrical capacity of CHP plants fuelled by fossil fuels has been reducing gradually over the past ten years – from 1150.2 MW in 2015 to 1029.7 MW in 2024 – however their share in the total CHP capacity remained around 88.4 %. The installed electrical capacity of renewables-fuelled CHP plants and their share in the total electrical capacity of CHP plants peaked in 2018 – at 157.9 MW and 12.4 % respectively – but has since been decreasing. Compared to 2023, electrical capacity of these plants dropped by 5.1 MW (3.9 %) and their share fell from 11.3 % to 10.9 %.

Largest electrical capacity of renewable CHP plants in Vidzeme and Zemgale – 98.3 % and 96.9 %

In 2024, the largest share of renewables-fuelled CHP plants, in terms of installed electrical capacity, was recorded in Zemgale (98.3 %) and Vidzeme (96.9 %), where total electrical capacity of the region’s power plants was 47.9 MW and 19.4 MW respectively. The proportions in Pierīga and Kurzeme constituted 79.9 % and 74.8 %, with the total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region representing 34.0 MW in Pierīga and 18.5 MW in Kurzeme.

The greatest share of electrical capacity of CHP plants using fossil fuels was observed in Riga and Latgale – 99.0 % and 35.9 % of total electrical capacity of CHP plants in the region (1 021.9 MW in Riga and 13.4 MW in Latgale).

Amount of electricity generated by CHP from renewables totals 27.0 %

The peak in electricity generation from renewable sources was recorded in 2018 (943.7 GWh), after which a steady decline was observed. In 2024, CHP plants generated 621.3 GWh of electricity from renewables, which is 5.7 % fewer than in 2023 and the lowest figure recorded in the past ten years. Meanwhile, the share of electricity generated by renewable CHP plants in the total electricity output of all CHP plants ranged between 27.0 % and 39.7 % over the past five years.

The amount of electricity produced in renewable CHP plants made up 13.4 % of the national electricity generated from renewables.

Greatest amount of electricity produced in Riga, lowest in Latgale

During the period from 2020 to 2024, the largest amount of electricity was produced in Riga, that is 60–71 % of the total electricity generated in CHP plants. However, CHP plants in Kurzeme and Latgale generated the smallest amount of electricity – 4 % of total each. Electricity generation in Pierīga and Zemgale varied between 8 % and 15 %, while the share of electricity produced in CHP plants located in Vidzeme constituted 5–7 % of total.

Electricity produced in CHP plants by region; 2024

Consumption of renewables in CHP plants reached 45.5 %

From 2012 to 2017, the consumption of renewable energy sources in CHP plants increased gradually – from 3.6 TJ to 16 TJ (4.4 times). However, between 2017 and 2022, it remained largely unchanged, averaging around 16.0 TJ. In 2024, consumption of renewables consumption reached 12.1 PJ, which is 6.1 % fewer than in 2023.

Heat and electricity production in CHP plants is mainly based on fuelwood, consumption of which has risen by 8.9 percentage points since 2020, reaching 88.9 % in 2024. However, the share of biogas in the total consumption of renewable sources in CHP plants reduced from 19.7 % to 10.8 %.

Over the past decade, consumption of natural gas in CHP plants declined from 71.2 % to 54.5 %, while consumption of renewables increased significantly – from 28.6 % in 2015 to 45.5 % in 2024 – indicating a shift towards more sustainable energy production solutions.

Latvia aims⁶ at reaching 50 % of renewables in gross final consumption of energy and reducing Latvian energy dependency upon imports of energy resources by 2030. Renewables made up 43.22 % of the Latvian final energy consumption in 2023. Additional key energy indicators are available in the CSB Climate Change Dashboard.

Data for the activities of CHP plants will be published on 20 June in the official statistics portal Energy section.

Methodological information

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 Renewable energy sources – wind, sun, geothermal, wave, tidal, and water energy, and also aerothermal energy (thermal energy accumulated in the air), geothermal energy (thermal energy located under the surface of the mainland) and hydrothermal energy (thermal energy located in surface waters), waste landfill site and sewage treatment plant gas and biogas, and biomass.

⁶ Cabinet Order on Latvia’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2021–2030 (in Latvian).

Media requests:
Public Relations Section
E-mail: media@csp.gov.lv
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More information on data:
Lāsma Černovska
Environment Statistics Data Analysis and Dissemination Section
E-mail: Lasma.Cernovska@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366768