Power dethroned
King coal now generates just 2pc of UK energy
THE UK’S remaining coal-fired power plants made their lowest contribution to Britain’s electricity grid in 135 years last month and could fall further this one.
The proportion of coal-fired generation in the power mix halved from last summer to an average of just 2pc of the total power generated over the month, analysts at Aurora Research have found. The researchers added that this trend is continuing and could reach a lower average in August.
The Oxford-based centre outlined the precipitous fall of coal-fired power in fresh data which shows it has fallen from 22pc in July 2015 to 4pc in the same month last year. In 2016 the highcarbon energy source made up 9pc of electricity generation on average, down from an average of 23pc across 2015.
Richard Howard, Aurora Energy’s head of research, said the July average of 2pc is sharply down from more than 50pc as recently as November 2012. “The decline in coal in recent years is partly as a result of higher carbon prices, and partly the growth in renewables. In August coal load factors have been even lower than in July and the trend is continuing,” he added.
Aurora’s data for July shows that gasfired power made up 40pc of the UK’S electricity and nuclear power accounted for 32pc of the electricity mix. Wind, hydro and renewable biomass power have continued to grow their small stake in the system to make up around 18pc of power last month.
The nearly rock-bottom monthly average for coal follows the UK’S first “coal-free” day earlier this year. The UK’S National Grid announced in April that the UK went without coal-fired power for 24 hours for the first time since the industrial revolution.
The Government has pledged to phase out coal entirely from 2025 as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions in the UK. Around 8.4GW of coal generation capacity has already closed since 2010, of which almost half shut down last year with the closure of Scottish Power’s Longannet plant, SSE’S Ferrybridge C and the Rugeley plant which is owned by France’s Engie.
Only nine coal-fired power plants remain and some have plans to convert to using waste wood as biomass.
National Grid said that on Friday morning coal power stations were generating 1.3GW, 3.8pc of demand, while gas plants were contributing 15.8GW, or 46.5pc of the total. Low-carbon energy sources such as renewables and nuclear, made up 45.7pc of all UK power.