The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy latest Energy Trends report shows that the last quarter was the first since the 19th century in which coal fell below 1 per cent of total energy generation, providing just 0.6 per cent of the UK’s electricity between April and June.

The report highlights, in particular, that “coal’s share of supply fell to a record low of 0.2 per cent in May after just 5 days of coal-fired generation on the GB grid during the month and the UK’s longest period without coal generation since the 1880s, at 18 days and 6 hours”.

Renewables filled the gap, with 35.5 per cent of the UK’s electricity generated by renewables in the second quarter of the year, up 3.5 per cent from the same period last year, with wind generation the “driving factor” as onshore wind generation increased by 13 per cent while offshore was 25 per cent higher than the same quarter in 2018. Wind generated 44 per cent of renewable electricity in Q2 2019.

RenewableUK’s director of strategic communications Luke Clark said: “This month’s landmark steps forward for offshore wind, with a record amount of new capacity secured at record low prices and a further round of development announced, means that we’ll see renewables reaching ever higher levels in the next ten years.”

Share Story: