Germany electricity generation from hard coal
Germany electricity generation from hard coal stood at 2,370.6 GWh in Sep 2026, according to Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.de (Federal Network Agency electricity market data). It is one of the indicators in the Electricity generation, consumption and prices table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 2015 to Sep 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Electricity generation, consumption and prices table
| Indicator | 09-2026 | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional sources | |||||||||||
| Hard coal | 2,370.6 | 2,210.02 | 1,839.25 | 1,513.05 | 1,922.82 | 2,227.36 | 2,976.08 | 3,322.49 | 4,404.71 | 2,599.89 | |
| Natural gas | 3,416.82 | 2,902.12 | 2,622.81 | 2,904.81 | 3,146.19 | 3,792.41 | 4,650.13 | 8,042.28 | 9,813.5 | 7,523.78 |
Understanding germany electricity generation from hard coal
Electrical output from plants combusting imported or stockpiled hard coal forms the basis of this conventional generation category. Unlike its lignite counterpart, this segment relies entirely on fuel sourced outside domestic mining operations, converting it into dispatchable power. The aggregate tallies the total generation fed onto the transmission system before internal plant consumption is deducted. It entirely excludes volumes produced by industrial self-generators if that power never touches the public network.
Monthly supply profiles are heavily influenced by ambient temperatures, making year-on-year analysis the standard method to filter out normal winter peaks and summer lulls. Focusing strictly on period-on-period changes masks the reality that these facilities often cycle their output to balance variable renewable generation. Initial monthly estimates rely on continuous sensor data from major plants but face revisions as full settlement data from regional dispatch centres arrives later. When comparing against natural gas generation, analysts must consider that hard coal units generally respond more slowly to intraday market signals.
Frequently asked questions
- Is industrial on-site hard coal generation part of the total?
- If the electricity is entirely consumed on site without entering the public grid, it is excluded from the figures.
- Does this category separate anthracite from bituminous coal?
- All forms of hard coal are grouped together into a single conventional generation metric without further subdivision.
- How does this metric treat combined heat and power plants?
- The figures isolate the electricity generated, deliberately omitting the thermal energy distributed to heating networks.