Mátra Power Plant ( Hungarian: ''Mátrai Erőmű''), is a

lignite fired power plant A fossil fuel power station is a thermal power station that burns fossil fuel, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, to produce electricity. Fossil fuel power stations have machines that convert the heat energy of combustion into mechanical energy ...

majority owned by MVM, the Hungarian state owned power company since 2019. It is located in the valley of the

Mátra The Mátra () is a mountain range in northern Hungary, between the towns Gyöngyös and Eger. The country's highest peak, Kékestető (1014 m), belongs to this mountain range. Formation Pre-volcanic formations The formation of the Mátra ...

mountains, in Hungary. It has an installed electric power output of 950 MW, however, one 200 MW generator has been on permanent hiatus since January 2021. According to the government energy strategy announced in 2021, most of the existing lignite-fuelled units would be shut down in 2025, and a new 500 MW gas-fired unit would be added as well as up to 400 MW in solar power. Due to the energy crisis in 2022, the switch to natural gas was delayed to 2028 or later. The Power Plant is one of the largest in Hungary (after

Paks Nuclear Power Plant The Paks Nuclear Power Plant () is located from the small town of Paks, central Hungary, 100km southwest of Budapest on the shores of the Danube river. It is the first and only operating nuclear power station in Hungary. In 2019, its four rea ...

), providing around 7% of the country's electricity production (and around 5% of its consumption) in 2023. This is down from the more than 20% share in 2014 (and the years before). The plant was once considered an important pillar in the national energy sector because it burns domestic fuel (lignite), unlike most other electricity plants in Hungary. However, the owner of the plant – the government – decided that the current lignite and gas based power generating unit is to be shut down in 2025 due to the aging generating equipment, the low quality of the local lignite, and the resulting environmental problems as well as the high emission costs. In 2018, Mátrai Erőmű Zrt. produced approximately 7.9 million (metric) tonnes of lignite but that decreased to a little under 5 million (metric) tonnes by 2021 according to the company's website.

History up to 2010

The power plant has been operating for more than 50 years – since 1969. The lignite is extracted from the opencast mines in Visonta and

Bükkábrány Bükkábrány is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. In its open cast coal mine palaeontologist found sixteen preserved trunks of cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' g ...

. The original construction project was started in 1965, when a lignite field was discovered near

Gyöngyös Gyöngyös is a town in Heves County, Hungary, beside of the Gyöngyös creek, under the Mátra mountain ranges. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 27,957 (see Demographics). The town is located 8.4 km from the M3 motorway and 80.8 km ...

. Between 1986 and 1992, the plant was first modernized. The company was then privatized and, subsequently, a controlling interest was acquired by

RWE RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen. It generates and trades electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the United States. In July 2020, RWE completed a far-reaching asset swap deal with E.ON first ...

in 1995. The entire power station required an upgrade and retrofit program. As it emitted high levels of sulfur, flue-gas desulphurisation units were equipped to comply with EU emission standards. The units introduced were the first of their kind in the region, making the plant one of the most environmentally friendly coal-fired power plants in Europe. Matra Power Plant

Between 2005 and 2007, two of the 200 MW units were equipped with two topping gas turbines (TBT), each with a maximum power output of 33 MW, which improved efficiency. The performance of the coal block was increased by about 10%, which accounts for a total power output increase of about 100 MW. There were also plans for an additional block to be built, but in late 2010, the project was cancelled. The chimney with a height of 203 meters is the 8th tallest buildings in Hungary.

References

External links

Website

at Global Energy Monitor {{DEFAULTSORT:Matra Power Plant Coal-fired power stations in Hungary Natural gas-fired power stations in Hungary Buildings and structures in Heves County Energetický a průmyslový holding