UK Electricity Grid Report 2016
In 2016, Great Britain generated 303 TWh of electricity. Gas was the biggest single source at 42%. Renewables (wind, solar and hydro) supplied 15.4%, or 15.4% counting biomass, and each unit generated averaged 274gCO₂ per kWh. That made 2016 cleaner than 2015: carbon intensity fell 82.1 g on the year.
Automated summaryIn 2016, Great Britain's electricity grid generated 303.14 TWh, with gas serving as the dominant source at 42 per cent, followed by nuclear at 22 per cent. Low carbon sources accounted for 37.4 per cent of generation, while renewables including biomass contributed 15.4 per cent, with wind alone providing 7 per cent. Coal's share fell to 9.2 per cent, and the grid recorded 190 coal-free hours across the year. The average carbon intensity stood at 273.8 gCO2/kWh.
Renewables share
15.4%
15.4% incl. biomass
Low carbon share
37.4%
renewables + nuclear
Carbon intensity
274 g
per kWh · low 95 g, high 470 g
Generation
303 TWh
incl. estimated embedded wind and solar
Coal share
9.2%
190 coal-free hours
Peak wind output
7.9 GW
highest half-hour average
The 2016 generation mix, fuel by fuel
share of GB generation- Gas42% · 127.29 TWh
- Nuclear22% · 66.8 TWh
- Coal9.2% · 28.02 TWh
- Wind7% · 21.19 TWh
- Imports6.7% · 20.29 TWh
- Other4.7% · 14.2 TWh
- Solar3.3% · 10.02 TWh
- Hydro1.1% · 3.38 TWh
- Storage0.9% · 2.86 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 2016 compares
- Versus 2015: renewables +0.4 points, carbon intensity -82.1 g.
- Versus 2009, the first year on record: renewables up 12 points (from 3.4%), and each unit of electricity 38.4% cleaner (445 g to 274 g).
- Explore the neighbouring years: 2015 · 2017 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 2016", purelyenergy.co.uk/grid-report/2016. Derived from NESO historic generation mix data.
2016 grid questions, answered
How green was UK electricity in 2016?
In 2016, wind, solar and hydro supplied 15.4% of GB generation (15.4% including biomass), low-carbon sources supplied 37.4%, and the average carbon intensity was 274 gCO2 per kWh.
What was the biggest source of UK electricity in 2016?
Gas was the largest single source in 2016, supplying 42% of GB generation. The full fuel-by-fuel breakdown is on this page.
How much coal did the UK burn for electricity in 2016?
Coal supplied 9.2% of GB generation in 2016 (28.02 TWh), and the grid ran coal-free for 190 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
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.
Request a quote and callback