National Grid ESO has repeatedly communicated in recent weeks about the record share of low-carbon sources in Britain’s electricity mix.
In April 2024, wind accounted for 35.1% of Britain’s electricity production, making it the primary source of electricity in the UK for the third consecutive month, according to National Grid ESO. This was followed by natural gas (16.9% in April) and nuclear (16.2%).
Britain “set two records for low carbon emissions last month, on April 5th and 15th,” the network manager also highlights: the combined share of gas and coal fell to just 2.4% of the national electricity mix during a lunchtime hour on April 15th (and to 6.4% on average throughout the day on April 5th).
The carbon intensity of the UK’s electricity mix then dropped to a historically low level of 19 g CO2 per kWh at 1 pm on April 15th (and to 21 g CO2/kWh on April 5th).
National Grid ESO’s ambition is towards a “zero-carbon network” during “short periods from next year.” The company is heavily investing in its network (£58 billion by 2035 in announced investments in its “Beyond 2030” plan).
The British electricity mix has already changed rapidly in recent years: fossil fuels accounted for over 76% of this mix in 2010, around 51% in 2015, and approximately 38% in 2020. Next September, the country will close its only coal-fired power station located at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire..
Low-carbon sources (wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectricity, nuclear) together accounted for over 55% of Britain’s electricity production in 2023, according to National Grid ESO.
However, natural gas still provided the most electricity to Britain last year (32%, down from 38.5% in 2022), followed by wind (29.4%, up from 26.8% in 2022) and nuclear (14.2%, down from 15.5% in 2022).
The average carbon intensity of Britain’s electricity production was still 149 g CO2/kWh in 2023. This is far from the level in France (32 g CO2eq/kWh in 2023 according to RTE) or in Nordic countries with abundant hydroelectric production (Sweden, Norway), but about half that of Germany (303 g CO2eq/kWh).