Gas filled Q1 generation gap as renewables faltered

Fossil fuel electricity generation jumped 15 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2021 as gas plants compensated for a seasonal slump in wind and solar power, new government statistics show.

According to the quarterly energy trends digest, published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) this week, fossil fuels generated 34.7 TWh in the first three months of this year.

Gas generation increased by 19 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2020, remaining the biggest source of fuel at 31.9 TWh.

The level of fossil fuel power exactly matched renewable generation in the first quarter, which was 16 per cent lower than in the equivalent period for 2020.

This drop was driven by a 20 per cent fall in production by solar and wind generators as a combination of lower wind speeds and sunshine hours created less favourable conditions for renewable power.

Renewables made up 41.6 per cent electricity generation in the first three months of the year, the third highest quarterly share on record.

The growth rate of renewable capacity continued to fall with just 65MW added over the quarter.

Nuclear generation fell too, to 11.6 TWh in Q1, 12 per cent lower than the equivalent period last year, as maintenance outages at all but one of the UK’s atomic power stations reduced operational capacity.

Low-carbon sources generated 55.4 per cent of total generation in the period, down 6.8 per cent on the previous year, due to lower renewable and nuclear generation.

The increase in fossil fuel’s contribution to the generation mix happened despite the continued decline of coal, which fell by 27 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2021 to 2.4 TWh.

Only three operational coal plants in the UK were left in the UK following the mothballing of the remaining Drax units at the end of March 2021.

Overall, electricity generation in the first quarter was 83.5 TWh, which was a 4.2 per cent decrease compared to the first three months of 2020.

With demand down 2.8 per cent over the same period to 76.6 TWh, the supply gap was plugged by an increase in net imports of electricity.

The lower level of electricity demand reflected ongoing Covid-19 restrictions on business and industry.

Domestic electricity consumption increased by 8.4 per cent during the first three months, when many shops and offices were closed in the UK’s third lockdown, although the fall in demand was less steep from industry (2.3 per cent).