Energy in the United Kingdom

Successive UK governments have outlined numerous commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. One such announcement was the Low Carbon Transition Plan launched by the Brown ministry in July 2009, which aimed to generate 30% electricity from renewable sources, and 40% from low-carbon content fuels by 2020. The UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is its fastest growing supply. Wind power contributed 29.4% of UK electricity generation in 2023.

The electricity sector's grid supply for the United Kingdom in 2024 came from 26.9% fossil fuel power (almost all from natural gas), 51% zero-carbon power (including 14% nuclear power and 37% from wind, solar and hydroelectricity), 6.8% from biomass, 14.1% imports, and 1.2% from storage.

Government commitments to reduce emissions are occurring against a backdrop of economic crisis across Europe. During the euro area crisis, Europe's consumption of electricity shrank by 5%, with primary production also facing a noticeable decline. Britain's trade deficit was reduced by 8% due to substantial cuts in energy imports. Between 2007 and 2015, the UK's peak electrical demand fell from 61.5 GW to 52.7. By 2022 it reached 47.1 GW.

UK government energy policy aims to play a key role in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, whilst meeting energy demand. Shifting availabilities of resources and development of technologies also change the country's energy mix through changes in costs and consumption. In 2018, the United Kingdom was ranked sixth in the world on the Environmental Performance Index, which measures how well a country carries through environmental policy.

Energy sources

In 2022, the United Kingdom's total energy supply (TES) was primarily composed of natural gas, contributing 39.4%, followed by oil at 34.8%, nuclear power at 8.1%, and coal at 3.2%. Biofuels and waste contributed 8.9%, while other renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydro collectively accounted for 5.6% of the energy mix. Coal generation ceased in September 2024.

Oil

After UK oil production peaked at nearly 3 million barrels per day in 1999, concerns over peak oil production were raised by high-profile voices in the United Kingdom such as David King and the Industry Task-Force on Peak Oil and Energy Security. The latter's 2010 report, by Richard Branson and Ian Marchant, states that "The next five years will see us face another crunch – the oil crunch. This time, we do have the chance to prepare. The challenge is to use that time well." However, world peak oil production was not reached and instead the debate is about oil imports and when peak oil demand will be reached.

In 2021, oil products in the United Kingdom were primarily consumed by the transport sector, constituting 72.7% of usage. The industry sector used 5.2% of oil products, while residential and commercial/public services sectors each accounted for 4.7% and 4.5%, respectively. Agriculture and forestry accounted for 1.5%, with fishing making up a minimal share at 0.2%. Non-energy use represented 10.4% of the total oil product consumption.

In October 2022, it was confirmed that UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, would be issuing hundreds of new oil and gas licenses. In the same month, Truss said she would not tax the profits of oil and gas corporations to pay for a freeze in energy bills. After Truss resigned as prime minister, her replacement Rishi Sunak shifted to a "net zero" policy, creating the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The manifesto of the victorious Labour Party in the 2024 general election included a commitment to a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. Since then, planning permission given by Surrey County Council to allow enlargement of oil wells near Gatwick Airport in 2019 was quashed by the High Court on 20 June 2024 in an action supported by Friends of the Earth, on the grounds that the local authority's environmental impact assessment had unlawfully not considered the impact on climate change from consumption of refined products from the crude oil it would produce. Amid the fuel crisis triggered by the United States' war against Iran, energy secretary Ed Miliband stated that "the era of fossil fuel security is over" and reiterated his commitment to net zero.

Natural gas

The United Kingdom produced 60% of its consumed natural gas in 2010. In five years the United Kingdom moved from almost gas self-sufficient (see North Sea gas) to 40% gas import in 2010. Gas was almost 40% of total primary energy supply (TPES) and electricity more than 45% in 2010. Underground storage was about 5% of annual demand and more than 10% of net imports. There is an alternative fuel obligation in the United Kingdom (see Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation).

Gas fields include Amethyst gasfield, Armada gasfield, Easington Catchment Area, East Knapton, Everest gasfield and Rhum gasfield.

A gas leak occurred in March 2012 at the Elgin-Franklin fields, where about 200,000 cubic metres of gas was escaping every day. Total missed out on about £83 million of potential income.

In 2022, gas consumption in the United Kingdom was primarily attributed to the residential sector, which accounted for 73.1% of usage, while the commercial and public services sectors utilized 22.6%. Non-energy use represented 1.2% of the total gas consumption.

Coal

In 2021, coal consumption in the United Kingdom was primarily driven by the industrial sector, accounting for 72.9% of usage. Residential consumption followed at 23.3%, while commercial and public services sectors accounted for 0.9%. Non-energy use represented 2.2% of the total coal consumption.

As of 30 September 2024, there is no coal power generation in the United Kingdom. Coal power in England and Wales reduced substantially in the beginning of the twenty-first century. The power stations known as the Hinton Heavies closed, and by the 2020s coal was rarely used for power generation.

Electricity production from coal in 2018 was less than any time since the industrial revolution, with the first "coal free day" in 2017 and the first coal free week in 2019. Coal supplied 5.4% of UK electricity in 2018, down from 7% in 2017, 9% in 2016, 23% in 2015 and 30% in 2014. The UK Government announced in November 2015 that all the remaining 14 coal-fired power stations would be closed by 2025. In February 2020, the government said that it would consult on bringing the closure date forward to 2024.

On 30 September 2024, the final coal-fired power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, closed, bringing an end to the UK's use of coal to produce electricity.

Nuclear

Britain's fleet of operational reactors consists of ten Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors at four discrete sites and one pressurised water reactor unit at Sizewell B. The total installed nuclear capacity in the United Kingdom is about 6.8 GW. In addition, the UK experimented with fast breeder reactor technologies at Dounreay in Scotland; however the last fast breeder (with 250 MWe of capacity) was shut down in 1994.

Even with changes to the planning system to speed nuclear power plant applications, there are doubts over whether the necessary timescale could be met to increase nuclear power output, and over the financial viability of nuclear power with present oil and gas prices. With no nuclear plants having been constructed since Sizewell B in 1995, there are also likely to be capacity issues within the native nuclear industry. The existing privatised nuclear supplier, British Energy, had been in financial trouble in 2004.

In October 2010, the coalition British Government gave the go-ahead for the construction of up to eight new nuclear power plants. However, the Scottish Government, with the backing of the Scottish Parliament, has stated since 2008 that no new nuclear power stations would be constructed in Scotland.

Renewable energy

In 2007, the United Kingdom Government agreed to an overall European Union target of generating 20% of the European Union's energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. Each European Union member state was given its own allocated target; for the United Kingdom it is 15%. This was formalised in January 2009 with the passage of the EU Renewables Directive. As renewable heat and fuel production in the United Kingdom were at extremely low bases, RenewableUK estimated that this would require 35–40% of the United Kingdom's electricity to be generated from renewable sources by that date, to be met largely by 33–35 GW of installed wind capacity.

In June 2017, renewables plus nuclear generated more UK power than gas and coal together for the first time and new offshore wind power became cheaper than new nuclear power for the first time.

In the third quarter of 2019, renewables contributed towards 38.9% of the UK's electricity generation, producing 28.8 TWh of electricity. This increased to 152.5 TWh in 2025, representing 52.5 per cent of electricity generation.

Wind power

In December 2007, the United Kingdom Government announced plans for a massive expansion of wind energy production, by conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment of up to 25 GW worth of wind farm offshore sites in preparation for a new round of development. These proposed sites were in addition to the 8 GW worth of sites already awarded in the two earlier rounds of site allocations, Round 1 in 2001 and Round 2 in 2003. Taken together it was estimated that this would result in the construction of over 7,000 offshore wind turbines.

Wind power delivers a growing fraction of the energy in the United Kingdom and at the beginning of November 2018, wind power in the United Kingdom consisted of nearly 10,000 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of just over 20 gigawatts: 12,254 MW of onshore capacity and 7,897 MW of offshore capacity.

In August and September 2021, the UK had to restart coal plants, amidst a lack of wind, as power imports from Europe were insufficient to satisfy demand.

Solar

At the end of 2011, there were 230,000 solar power projects in the United Kingdom, with a total installed generating capacity of 750 MW. By February 2012 the installed capacity had reached 1,000 MW. Solar power use has increased very rapidly in recent years, albeit from a small base, as a result of reductions in the cost of photovoltaic (PV) panels, and the introduction of a feed-in tariff (FIT) subsidy in April 2010, replaced with the Smart Export Guarantee in 2019. In 2012, the government said that 4 million homes across the UK will be powered by the sun within eight years, representing 22,000 MW of installed solar power capacity by 2020.

Biofuels

Gas from sewage and landfill (biogas) has already been exploited in some areas. In 2004 it provided 129.3 GW·h (up 690% from 1990 levels), and was the UK's leading renewable energy source, representing 39.4% of all renewable energy produced (including hydro) in 2006. The UK has committed to a target of 10.3% of renewable energy in transport to comply with the Renewable Energy Directive of the European Union, but has not yet implemented legislation to meet this target.

Other biofuels can provide a close-to-carbon-neutral energy source, if locally grown. In South America and Asia, the production of biofuels for export has in some cases resulted in significant ecological damage, including the clearing of rainforest. In 2004, biofuels provided 105.9 GW·h, 38% of it wood. This represented an increase of 500% from 1990.

The UK imports large quantities of wood pellets from the United States and Canada, replacing coal at several generating stations. As of 2025, this has continued despite the phase-out of coal in 2024.

Geothermal power

Investigations into the exploitation of geothermal power in the United Kingdom, prompted by the 1973 oil crisis, were abandoned as fuel prices fell. Only one scheme is operational, the Southampton District Energy Scheme. In 2004, it was announced that a further scheme would be built to heat the UK's first geothermal energy model village near Eastgate, County Durham.

Hydroelectric

In 2011, hydroelectric power stations in the United Kingdom accounted for 1.67 GW of installed electrical generating capacity, accounting for 1.9% of the UK's total generating capacity and 14% of UK's renewable energy generating capacity. Annual electricity production from such schemes was approximately 5,700 GWh, comprising about 1.5% of the UK's total electricity production.

There are also pumped storage power stations in the UK. These power stations are net consumers of electrical energy, but they contribute to balancing the grid, which can facilitate renewable generation elsewhere, for example by 'soaking up' surplus renewable output at off-peak times and releasing the energy when it is required.