Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
The use of gas-fired power within the UK’s electricity mix fell last year to lows not seen since 1996, government data shows.
A report on 2013 electricity generation showed gas-fired power slumped 4.3 per cent compared to the previous year from 100.1 TWh to 95.7 TWh, causing its share of the electricity mix to decrease from 27.5 per cent in 2012 to 26.8 per cent in 2013.
The 17 year lows came amid lower overall power production and healthy increase in the amount of renewable energy generated over the year.
In 2013 wind and solar PV generation rose 41.7 per cent from 20.8 TWh in 2012 to 29.4 TWh in 2013, in large part due to the increase in installed capacity although the report notes that higher wind speeds would also have contributed to the increase.
Also cutting into the share of gas-fired power was slightly higher nuclear power generation and rising use of power imports from continental Europe.
Nuclear power use touched seven year highs over 2013 at 70.6 TWh, just 0.3 per cent higher on the year, while net imports rose 19.8 per cent on the year to 14.4 TWh, the highest level seen in the last 13 years due mainly to increased imports from France.
Coal-fired power generation also saw its output fall in the face of strong low-carbon sources and rising imports, but retained the lion’s share of the mix at 36.3 per cent in 2013 from the previous year’s 39.4 per cent as outright generation dropped 9.6 per cent from 143.2 TWh in 2012 to 129.4 TWh.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.