Electricity generation in cogeneration plants in 2020 was 2940.1 gigawatt hours (GWh), which accounted for 51% of the total amount of electricity produced in Latvia, according to the latest data of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB). Compared to 2019, last year the amount of electricity produced in cogeneration plants decreased by 30%.
Statistics Estonia explains that it was mainly influenced by the increase in electricity generation in hydropower plants due to higher water inflow and a corresponding decrease in electricity prices, as well as reduced heat demand due to warmer weather conditions, which led to lower electricity generation in cogeneration plants.
In 2020, cogeneration plants produced 5038.5 GWh of heat energy or by 6% less than in 2019. The share of heat produced in cogeneration plants in 2020 was 67% of the total amount of heat produced in the country.
The number of cogeneration plants has doubled in the 10-year period from 2011 to 2020, but is declining from 2018.
In 2019 and 2020, there were 29 and 42 less cogeneration plants operating, respectively, than in 2017, when the largest number of cogeneration plants in the last ten years was operating – 204 cogeneration plants. Several cogeneration plants were shut down due to the end of state aid for the sale of electricity through mandatory procurement.
The total electric capacity of cogeneration plants in 2020 reached 1,274.2 MW, which is 4.5 MW more than in 2019, but 24.9 MW less than in 2017. In ten years, the electric capacity of cogeneration plants has increased by 32% or 1.3 times.
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Source: CSB
The share of electric capacity of general use cogeneration plants over 10 years averaged 97%, while the electric capacity of enterprise cogeneration plants accounted for 3% of the total electric capacity of cogeneration plants. In 2020, four general-purpose cogeneration plants with a capacity of more than 20 MW accounted for 83% of the total electric capacity in cogeneration plants, but 36% of the total electric capacity in the country – three of them operated in Riga, one – in Zemgale region.
In the last 10 years, the share of electric capacity of fossil energy cogeneration plants has been decreasing and the share of electrical capacity of renewable energy resources (RES) cogeneration plants has been increasing. The largest increase in the electrical capacity of RES cogeneration plants was observed in 2012 and 2013 (by 80.2 MW) and from 2013 to 2020 the share of electricity capacity of RES cogeneration plants ranged from 9% to 12% of the total electricity capacity of cogeneration plants, however, compared to the previous year, the electric capacity of RES cogeneration plants in 2020 was 1.3 MW lower and was 156.3 MW.
The highest share of electrical capacity of RES cogeneration plants in 2020 was in Vidzeme (98%) and Zemgale (96%), where the total electrical capacity was 29 MW and 59.1 MW, respectively. The share of electric capacity of RES cogeneration plants in Kurzeme and Pieriga was 77% and 61% of the total electric capacity of cogeneration plants, respectively – 24.7 MW in Kurzeme and 51.0 MW in Pieriga. The largest share of electric capacity of fossil cogeneration plants is in Riga and Latgale – 99% and 72% of the total electric capacity of cogeneration plants in the region, respectively (Riga – 1,069.8 MW, Latgale – 40.6 MW).
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Source: CSB
The amount of electricity produced in RES cogeneration plants in 2020 was 864.8 GWh, which is 7% less than in the previous year, but in 10 years the generation of electricity from cogeneration plants from RES has increased 7 times. The increase in electricity produced by RES cogeneration plants is facilitated by state support programs.
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Source: CSB
The amount of electricity produced in RES cogeneration plants in 2020 accounted for 24% of the total local electricity generation from RES in the country (14% of biomass cogeneration plants, 10% – biogas cogeneration plants).
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Source: CSB
Natural gas and firewood are mainly consumed in cogeneration plants for energy production. In 2020, 21.0 petajoules (PJ) of natural gas and 12.4 PJ of fuel wood were consumed, which is a total of 20% less than in 2019. Within ten years, the share of natural gas consumption in cogeneration plants has decreased from 93% to 58%, while the share of RES consumption has increased significantly, reaching 42% in 2020.
Latvia’s goal is to achieve a 50% share of RES in gross final energy consumption by 2030 and to reduce Latvia’s energy dependence on energy imports. The share of Latvia’s RES in final energy consumption in 2019 was 41%.
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