UK Electricity Grid Report 2009
In 2009, Great Britain generated 329 TWh of electricity. Gas was the biggest single source at 44.8%. Renewables (wind, solar and hydro) supplied 3.4%, or 3.4% counting biomass, and each unit generated averaged 445gCO₂ per kWh.
Automated summaryIn 2009, Great Britain's electricity grid generated 329.2 TWh, with gas as the dominant source at 44.8% of the mix, followed by coal at 30% and nuclear at 19.7%. Renewable sources including wind, solar and hydro accounted for just 3.4% of generation, with wind alone contributing only 1%, while low carbon sources collectively made up 23.2%. The average carbon intensity stood at 444.8 gCO2/kWh, and there were no coal-free hours across the entire year. These figures underline the grid's continued reliance on fossil fuels and the limited penetration of renewable generation at this stage.
Renewables share
3.4%
3.4% incl. biomass
Low carbon share
23.2%
renewables + nuclear
Carbon intensity
445 g
per kWh · low 247 g, high 625 g
Generation
329 TWh
incl. estimated embedded wind and solar
Coal share
30%
no coal-free hours
Peak wind output
1.3 GW
highest half-hour average
The 2009 generation mix, fuel by fuel
share of GB generation- Gas44.8% · 147.39 TWh
- Coal30% · 98.8 TWh
- Nuclear19.7% · 65 TWh
- Imports2% · 6.68 TWh
- Hydro1.1% · 3.56 TWh
- Storage1.1% · 3.62 TWh
- Wind1% · 3.33 TWh
Electricity supplied, 2009 to 2026
TWh per year, generation basis incl. estimated embedded wind and solar- 2009329 TWh
- 2010335 TWh
- 2011322 TWh
- 2012324 TWh
- 2013322 TWh
- 2014310 TWh
- 2015305 TWh
- 2016303 TWh
- 2017301 TWh
- 2018298 TWh
- 2019292 TWh
- 2020276 TWh
- 2021285 TWh
- 2022290 TWh
- 2023275 TWh
- 2024281 TWh
- 2025289 TWh
- 2026151 TWh
Britain supplies markedly less electricity than it did in 2009, even as the economy has grown: efficiency, LED lighting and offshored industry all pushed demand down while the mix decarbonised.
How 2009 compares
- Versus 2009, the first year on record: renewables up 0 points (from 3.4%), and each unit of electricity 0% cleaner (445 g to 445 g).
- Explore the neighbouring years: 2010 or the full year-by-year table.
Cite this report
You are welcome to reuse the figures on this page with a link back. Suggested citation:
Purely Energy, "UK Electricity Grid Report 2009", purelyenergy.co.uk/grid-report/2009. Derived from NESO historic generation mix data.
2009 grid questions, answered
How green was UK electricity in 2009?
In 2009, wind, solar and hydro supplied 3.4% of GB generation (3.4% including biomass), low-carbon sources supplied 23.2%, and the average carbon intensity was 445 gCO2 per kWh.
What was the biggest source of UK electricity in 2009?
Gas was the largest single source in 2009, supplying 44.8% of GB generation. The full fuel-by-fuel breakdown is on this page.
How much coal did the UK burn for electricity in 2009?
Coal supplied 30% of GB generation in 2009 (98.8 TWh), and the grid ran coal-free for 0 hours.
Use the data
Every figure on this page, as a CSV you can drop into a spreadsheet.
Basis: NESO historic generation mix (GB transmission generation plus estimated embedded wind and solar), aggregated by calendar year, energy-weighted. Renewables is NESO's wind + solar + hydro measure; the biomass-inclusive share is shown alongside. See the live version of this data on our real-time grid map and today's prices on wholesale market data.
Data comes from the Elexon Insights Solution (BMRS), the NESO Data Portal and the Carbon Intensity API, a project by the National Energy System Operator and the University of Oxford Department of Computer Science. Contains BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right 2026.
Energy decisions for the grid of 2026
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