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UK Electricity Grid Report 2013

In 2013, Great Britain generated 322 TWh of electricity. Coal was the biggest single source at 39%. Renewables (wind, solar and hydro) supplied 9%, or 9% counting biomass, and each unit generated averaged 475gCO₂ per kWh. That made 2013 cleaner than 2012: carbon intensity fell 29.6 g on the year.

Automated summaryIn 2013, Great Britain's electricity grid remained heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with coal accounting for the largest share of generation at 39% and gas contributing 24.9%. Low carbon sources supplied 29.5% of the total, comprising nuclear at 20.5% and renewables such as wind, solar and hydro at 9%, with wind alone providing 5.8%. Total generation reached 322.4 TWh, while the average carbon intensity stood at 475 gCO2/kWh. The system recorded no coal-free hours during the year, underscoring the continued centrality of coal to the grid.

Renewables share

9%

9% incl. biomass

Low carbon share

29.5%

renewables + nuclear

Carbon intensity

475 g

per kWh · low 259 g, high 622 g

Generation

322 TWh

incl. estimated embedded wind and solar

Coal share

39%

no coal-free hours

Peak wind output

6.1 GW

highest half-hour average

The 2013 generation mix, fuel by fuel

share of GB generation
  • Coal39% · 125.77 TWh
  • Gas24.9% · 80.12 TWh
  • Nuclear20.5% · 65.95 TWh
  • Wind5.8% · 18.62 TWh
  • Imports5.5% · 17.58 TWh
  • Other1.2% · 3.85 TWh
  • Hydro0.9% · 2.91 TWh
  • Storage0.9% · 2.8 TWh
  • Solar0.6% · 2.08 TWh

Electricity supplied, 2009 to 2026

TWh per year, generation basis incl. estimated embedded wind and solar

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 2013 compares

  • Versus 2012: renewables +2.3 points, carbon intensity -29.6 g.
  • Versus 2009, the first year on record: renewables up 5.6 points (from 3.4%), and each unit of electricity -6.8% cleaner (445 g to 475 g).
  • Explore the neighbouring years: 2012 · 2014 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 2013", purelyenergy.co.uk/grid-report/2013. Derived from NESO historic generation mix data.

2013 grid questions, answered

How green was UK electricity in 2013?

In 2013, wind, solar and hydro supplied 9% of GB generation (9% including biomass), low-carbon sources supplied 29.5%, and the average carbon intensity was 475 gCO2 per kWh.

What was the biggest source of UK electricity in 2013?

Coal was the largest single source in 2013, supplying 39% of GB generation. The full fuel-by-fuel breakdown is on this page.

How much coal did the UK burn for electricity in 2013?

Coal supplied 39% of GB generation in 2013 (125.77 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.

Download 2013 data (CSV)

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

The mix above sets the shape of wholesale prices. We turn it into procurement strategy for businesses across the UK, from fixed contracts to flexible purchasing.

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