Low water levels in the Vistula have forced Enea to limit electricity generation at two of Poland’s largest coal-fired plants. Combined losses at Połaniec and Kozienice are close to 2,000 MW, and the situation is compounded by planned maintenance work that has taken other big coal units offline.
The first restrictions were introduced at Połaniec on 3 August. Enea said high temperatures and the resulting decline in the Vistula’s level made it necessary to adjust how selected units operate. Data for 4 August show that units B2, B3, B5, B6 and B7 at Połaniec were under limits or stopped, while B1, B4 and B9 kept working. These units are the so-called dwusetki, coal blocks with capacity between 200 and 250 MW.
At Kozienice, which is also located by the Vistula, the same problem hit units B2, B3, B4, B5 and B7 on 4 August. B1, B6 and B8 remained in normal operation. According to data from the Polish Power Exchange, the lack of water in the river costs more than 1,000 MW at Kozienice, and Połaniec is short by a similar amount.
Open-loop cooling depends on river levels
– Elektrownia Połaniec monitors the hydrological situation on an ongoing basis. In connection with persistently low water levels, the operation of selected power units is adjusted to current operating conditions. These measures are operational in nature and are intended to ensure the safe operation of units and continuity of energy supplies – the Połaniec power plant said.
– Based on current observations of hydrological parameters, Enea Wytwarzanie notes periodic fluctuations in flows and reduced water levels, especially during periods of high temperatures and prolonged lack of rainfall. This phenomenon is particularly important in the area of the Kozienice power plant, where the availability of water from the Vistula is of direct significance for the stability of technological processes and the security of the National Power System – Enea Wytwarzanie told WNP.PL.
Enea Wytwarzanie said it constantly monitors the Vistula’s hydrological situation, supervises water intake and discharge, and analyses drought conditions. The company added that these analyses allow it to respond quickly and adapt generation to the current state of the river.
Maintenance removes further capacity from the grid
While the drought is cutting output from the two Enea plants, Poland’s largest coal unit, block B11 at Kozienice, is out of service because of a planned overhaul. That unit has 1,075 MW of capacity, so together with the hydrological losses at Połaniec and Kozienice, the total shortfall in Enea Wytwarzanie’s available capacity exceeds 2,000 MW.
Other conventional units are also missing from the system. Unit 14 at Bełchatów, which belongs to PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna and has 858 MW of capacity, is undergoing a scheduled renovation. One block at the Siekierki combined heat and power plant in Warsaw is in emergency repair, taking about 130 MW out of service.
The growing gap in conventional capacity created a risk that the country would not have enough reserve power. To prevent this, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne announced a capacity market call for Tuesday, 4 August 2026, between 17:00 and 19:00. Under this mechanism, market participants are required to deliver the power they have contracted or to reduce demand, and they are compensated for doing so.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. CameraCraft / Shutterstock
