UK power sector cuts emissions by almost quarter in two years

• 8 years ago (2015-12-22)
• David Flin

Europe 1089 Nuclear 659 Renewables 776

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The UK government has released figures showing that emissions from power stations fell 23 per cent between 2012 and 2014 to 121 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e). The progress report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) also confirmed that the carbon intensity for all fuels in the UK’s power mix, including nuclear and renewables, stood at 394 g CO2/kWh in 2014, a reduction from 482 g CO2/kWh in 2012. The report said that the energy supply sector was the biggest single contributor to the reduction in emissions, with emissions falling 18 per cent since 2013.

The report stated that low carbon electricity’s share of generation increased from 30 per cent in 2012 to 39 per cent in 2014. Renewables’ share of generation increased from 11 per cent in 2012 to 19 per cent in 2014.

Overall, renewable electricity generation rose 21 per cent last year to 64.7 TWh, while generation from gas rose 5.6 per cent to 101 TWh. In contrast, nuclear output fell 9.7 per cent to 64 TWh due to planned and unplanned outages, and coal generation fell 23 per cent to 101 TWh, due to the closure of several power stations and the conversion of a second unit at the Drax power station to biomass.

The Government predicts that these trends are likely to continue as the first wave of renewable energy projects to secure price support contracts move into construction, and more coal plants are retired. However, a number of green businesses and NGOs are concerned that the decarbonisation of the power sector is not proceeding fast enough for the UK to meet its medium-term carbon targets. The country is currently not on course to meet its carbon budget for the mid-2020s by around 10 per cent, and ministers have said that they will have to deliver a new plan to close the gap next year.