Kozienice and Połaniec, two of Poland’s biggest coal-fired power stations, have had to limit electricity generation because the Vistula is too low to supply their cooling systems during the heatwave. The combined loss of available capacity at these two Enea-operated plants is around 2,000 MW.
Both sites rely on open-cycle cooling, which pulls water directly from the river to condense steam before returning it. Sustained heat and the lack of rainfall pushed river levels down, and on 3 August Enea began throttling back units at Połaniec to keep them within safe operating parameters.
Kozienice and Połaniec scale back generation
In Połaniec, restrictions and shutdowns hit units B2, B3, B5, B6 and B7 as of 4 August, while B1, B4 and B9 kept running. These are the plant’s so-called dwusetki, coal-fired blocks of 200–250 MW that use Vistula water for cooling.
– Elektrownia Połaniec is monitoring the hydrological situation on an ongoing basis. In connection with persisting low water levels, the operation of selected power units is being adjusted to current operating conditions. These measures are operational and aim to ensure safe operation of the units and continuity of supply – the plant said.
The same problems have hit Kozienice, which also draws cooling water from the Vistula. Data from 4 August show unplanned downtime or output limits on units B2, B3, B4, B5 and B7; B1, B6 and B8 were working normally.
– Enea Wytwarzanie is monitoring the hydrological situation of the Vistula on an ongoing basis. The company maintains constant supervision over parameters related to water intake and discharge and analyses hydrological conditions, including drought – the company told WNP.
Planned maintenance adds to strain
The drought has taken more than 1,000 MW out of Kozienice’s dwusetki, according to data from the Polish Power Exchange, and Połaniec is missing roughly the same amount. But the problems are not limited to water shortages.
Poland’s largest coal unit, the 1,075 MW B11 at Kozienice, is temporarily offline because of a scheduled overhaul. With the Bełchatów plant’s 858 MW unit 14, run by PGE, also under planned maintenance, and an emergency repair at one 130 MW unit at the Siekierki combined heat and power plant, the total capacity available to the grid has dropped sharply.
– Based on current observations of hydrological parameters, Enea Wytwarzanie records periodic fluctuations in flows and reduced water levels, particularly during periods of high temperatures and prolonged lack of rainfall. This is especially important in the area where Kozienice operates, because the availability of Vistula water directly affects the stability of technological processes and the security of the National Power System – Enea Wytwarzanie said.
Enea Wytwarzanie’s fleet alone has more than 2,000 MW of missing capacity once the forced cuts at Połaniec and Kozienice are combined with the B11 outage.
Grid operator steps in
The shrinking conventional fleet has created a risk that the country will not have enough reserve power. To prevent that, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne, Poland’s transmission system operator, announced a capacity market activation for Tuesday, 4 August 2026, between 17:00 and 19:00.
During such an activation, capacity market participants are obliged to respond to the operator’s call and provide the required power supply or demand reduction, for which they receive compensation. The move underscores how tight the balance has become at a time when the system is already coping with multiple outages at once.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. CameraCraft / Shutterstock
