Half of UK electricity supply was low-carbon in 2018 – and percentage set to rise

A record 49.6% of electricity supplied in the UK last year was from low-carbon sources, thanks in part to powerful modern wind turbines – and that percentage could rise further when provisional figures are finalised, a renewable energy organisation said.

Renewable energy, including bioenergy, wind, solar and hydro, accounted for a record high of 27.5% of electricity supplied in 2018, up from 23.5% in 2017. The provisional figures, released today by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, also showed a slight drop in nuclear production. The source accounted for 22.1%, down from 23.4% – giving the record low-carbon figure of 49.6%.

Increased capacity for wind, solar and bioenergy technology contributed to the low-carbon boost. Operators installed a record amount of offshore wind capacity – more than 2GW, enough to power more than 2.3m homes. Projects included the 659MW Walney Extension off Cumbria, the world’s largest operational offshore windfarm, and the 400MW Rampion off Sussex. A RenewableUK announcement in December said the high capacities were thanks to an “impressive” growth in turbine power in recent years.  

The annual estimates are only available for major power producers, excluding auto-producers and some renewable sources. This raises the possibility that low-carbon sources actually accounted for more than half of UK electricity for the first time.

“These are great statistics which show that renewables are playing a key role in our energy mix,” RenewableUK executive director Emma Pinchbeck told Professional Engineering. “It’s worth bearing in mind that these are provisional figures which only cover electricity generation by major power producers, so, when the government publishes the full statistics at the end of next month, the percentage produced by renewables will be even higher.

“Looking further ahead, we’re set to see a massive expansion in offshore wind in the next decade and beyond. We’re working closely with government on an offshore wind ‘sector deal’ which would see the total capacity of our offshore fleet rise from 7.9GW now to 30GW by 2030 – enough to generate one-third of the UK’s electricity needs from offshore wind alone. We’re also seeing significant progress on battery storage alongside renewable energy projects, which adds to the flexibility of our clean technologies.”

Gas and coal accounted for smaller proportions of electricity supply, 43.9% down from 44.8%, and 6% down from 7.8% respectively. Gas production was down 3.4%, hit by the closure of the Theddlethorpe gas terminal in Lincolnshire last August.

Overall, primary energy production – before sources have been converted into electricity – rose by 2.9% to 130.4m tonnes of oil equivalent. It was the fourth successive increase, energy production standing at the highest level since 2011. Oil production was up by 9%, reflecting a boost after the closure of the Forties pipeline for maintenance in December 2017.