Wind Overtakes Coal in U.K. Power For First Time

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Wind power overtook coal-fired power in the U.K. for the first time ever in 2016, as plant closures and a switch to gas took its toll.

For the calendar year wind energy from onshore and offshore windfarms contributed 11.5% of total electricity compared to 9.2% from coal, a significant drop from the more than 22% it supplied in 2015. The amount of electricity generated by coal-fired power stations in 2016 was an estimated 31 terawatt hours (TWh), the lowest since 1935. Windfarms generated 39 TWh of electricity last year, according to the latest figures from energy body Carbon Brief.

"This drop in coal output in 2016 was largely filled by an increase in gas generation, which was up 45% year on year," explained Simon Evans, policy editor at Carbon Brief. "However, it's worth noting that generation from coal and gas combined has fallen by 38% since 2010, when the coalition government took office. Some 68% of the reduction in fossil-fuelled electricity since 2010 has been substituted with low-carbon sources, mainly renewables. Imported power replaced another 22%, and reduced consumption accounted for the remaining 10%."

As coal declined, gas-fired power rose from just under 30% of the total share in 2015 to 42.7% last year.

Coal-fired power is on the way out in the U.K., with the government pledging last year to shut all coal-fired power plants within a decade. The goal is to have all unabated coal-fired plants closed by 2025, and there will be restricted usage measures introduced from 2023. For additional information, see November 23, 2015, article - U.K. Calls Time on Coal-Fired Power.

There have been a number of notable coal-fired plant closures in the past year. In March, Scotland's last coal-fired plant, the 2,400-megawatt (MW) Longannet plant, was shut down after 46 years of service. The 2,400-MW plant was operated by ScottishPower Ltd. (Glasgow, Scotland), part of Spanish energy major Iberdrola S.A. (BMAD:IBE) (Bilbao, Spain), and supplied enough power for 2.3 million homes annually. For additional information, see March 25, 2016, article--Scotland Shuts Last Coal-Fired Power Plant.

In February, SSE plc (LSE:SSE) (Perth, Scotland) announced plans for the early shutdown of three of the four operating units at the 2,000 MW Fiddler's Ferry coal-fired power station in Cheshire, England. It blamed "continuing challenging economic and environmental conditions for coal" for its decision. French energy firm ENGIE (EPA:ENGI) (Paris, France) announced the summer 2016 closure of the 1,050-MW Rugeley coal-fired power plant in Staffordshire, England, citing low power prices and higher carbon costs. For additional information, see February 17, 2016, article - SSE Plans Unit Shutdowns at Fiddler's Ferry Plant in U.K. and February 15, 2016, article - ENGIE to Shut Unprofitable Rugeley Coal-Fired Plant in the U.K..

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