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Amount of electricity produced in CHP plants rose by 39% in 2018

Lāsma Černovska Environment and Energy Statistics Section, 17.05.2019.Print version
The latest data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in 2018 the amount of electricity produced in combined heat and power (CHP)1 plants2 constituted 4170.0 gigawatt hours (GWh), which accounts for 62 % of the total amount of electricity generated in Latvia. Compared to 2017, the amount of electricity produced in CHP plants went up by 39%, which can be explained by the reduction in hydro power output caused by the dry and hot weather.

Last year, CHP plants produced 5 892.1 GWh of heat, which is 6% less, compared to 2017. The amount of heat produced in CHP plants in 2018 constituted 71% of the total heat generated in Latvia.


Indicators characterizing activities of CHP plants in 2018


Installed electrical capacity of CHP plants

Number of CHP plants

Installed electrical capacity, MW

Electricity produced, GWh

Heat produced, GWh

Total

175

1 269.7

4 170.0

5 892.1

 

≤ 0.2 MW

21

2.9

18.8

33.5

 

0.2 < P* ≤ 0.5 MW

29

10.3

57.7

190.4

 

0.5 < P ≤ 1 MW

66

54.2

339.0

662.3

 

1 < P ≤ 5 MW

52

126.8

827.2

2 070.0

 

5 < P ≤ 20 MW

3

27.7

104.0

159.4

 

> 20 MW

4

1 047.8

2 823.3

2 776.5

 


Over the ten years from 2009 to 2018, the total installed electrical capacity of CHP plants has risen 1.4 times, constituting 1 269.7 MW in 2018.


During the period, the installed electrical capacity of CHP plants fuelled by renewable energy sources (RES) has increased 16 times, reaching 157.9 MW in 2018 or 12% of the total installed electrical capacity of CHP plants. Compared to the year before, electrical capacity of RES-fuelled CHP plants grew by 4 MW or almost 3%.




In Latvia, there are four CHP plants with installed electrical capacity exceeding 20 MW, comprising 83% of the total installed electrical capacity of the CHP plants. Three of the plants are located in Riga and one in Zemgale region. In 2018, the amount of electricity produced in these plants accounted for 6% of the total amount of electricity produced in CHP plants, which is 15 percentage points more than a year before.


Last year, the CHP plants in Riga had the highest installed electrical capacity – 1 059.5 MW, which almost has not changed since 2013. The installed electrical capacity of plants located in Zemgale and Pierīga regions fell by 9% over the year, comprising 63.7 MW and 52.2 MW, respectively. In 2018, the lowest installed electrical capacity was recorded in CHP plant located in Kurzeme region (26.5 MW), showing a drop of 18%, compared to 2017. Compared to 2017, last year the installed electrical capacity of CHP plants located in Vidzeme and Latgale regions fell by 18% and 12%, respectively.


During the ten years, the share of electricity produced in RES-fuelled CHP plants has grown by 20 percentage points, and last year 944 GWh of electricity were produced from RES (570 GWh from biomass and 374 GWh from biogas), constituting 23% of the total amount of electricity produced in CHP plants. Rise in the amount of electricity produced in RES-fuelled CHP plants is facilitated by the state aid.




In 2018, the largest share of electricity produced from RES in CHP plants was registered in Vidzeme and Zemgale regions – 98% and 85%, respectively, while the smallest in Riga – 2% of the total electricity produced in the region.




In 2018, Latvian CHP plants mainly consumed natural gas (30.8 petajoules (PJ)) and fuelwood (12.8 PJ). Over the ten-year period, the share of natural gas consumed in CHP plants has dropped from 93% to 65%, while the share of RES has gone up notably, reaching 34% in 2018.




Latvia aims3 at reaching 40 % of RES in the gross final energy consumption and reducing Latvian energy dependency upon energy imports by 2020. The share of RES in Latvian final energy consumption accounted for 39% in 2017.







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