UK power generation ‘down to lowest level in 25 years’

The country produced 335TWh of electricity through 2018, around 63TWh less than in 2005

Power generation across the UK has fallen to the lowest level in 25 years.

A new analysis from Carbon Brief shows total output dropped to 335TWh, around 63TWh lower than in 2005, a reduction equivalent to 2.5 times the capacity of Hinkley Point C – the last time UK generation was this low was in 1994.

The organisation’s new report, based on figures from BM Reports, Sheffield Solar and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), illustrates how this was acheived despite the UK population increasing from 60 million to 66 million people over the period.

The statistics show the economy has continued to grow even as electricity generation plateaued and then started to decline, largely thanks to improved efficiency.

Output from renewables rose to another record high, generating around a third of the UK total in 2018 – low carbon and nuclear sources contributed 53% of UK generation in 2018, with the share from fossil fuels at its lowest proportion ever.

Lower per-capita electricity generation and cleaner supplies have helped to cut UK greenhouse gas emissions, even as the economy grows and population rises.

The reduction in per-capita generation has saved 103TWh since 2005, slightly more than the 95TWh increase in renewable output over the same period.

Environmental think-tank Carbon Tracker recently claimed global coal generation is plunging into a ‘death spiral’.

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