UK Electricity Grid Report 2019
In 2019, Great Britain generated 292 TWh of electricity. Gas was the biggest single source at 39.3%. Renewables (wind, solar and hydro) supplied 25.8%, or 31.7% counting biomass, and each unit generated averaged 189gCO₂ per kWh. That made 2019 cleaner than 2018: carbon intensity fell 25.1 g on the year.
Automated summaryIn 2019, Great Britain's electricity grid generated 291.5 TWh, with gas remaining the single largest source at 39.3%, followed by nuclear at 18.1% and wind at 16%. Renewables from wind, solar and hydro accounted for 25.8% of generation, rising to 31.7% when biomass is included, while low carbon sources together supplied 49.8%. Coal's share fell to just 2%, with the grid running coal-free for 3,653 hours, helping to bring the average carbon intensity down to 189.2 gCO2/kWh. The average wholesale price stood at £42.62/MWh across the year, with 30 hours of negative pricing recorded.
Renewables share
25.8%
31.7% incl. biomass
Low carbon share
49.8%
renewables + nuclear
Carbon intensity
189 g
per kWh · low 44 g, high 382 g
Generation
292 TWh
incl. estimated embedded wind and solar
Coal share
2%
3,653 coal-free hours
Peak wind output
13.5 GW
highest half-hour average
The 2019 generation mix, fuel by fuel
share of GB generation- Gas39.3% · 114.55 TWh
- Nuclear18.1% · 52.77 TWh
- Wind16% · 46.51 TWh
- Imports8.6% · 25.1 TWh
- Biomass5.9% · 17.2 TWh
- Solar3.9% · 11.5 TWh
- Coal2% · 5.94 TWh
- Hydro1.2% · 3.57 TWh
- Storage0.6% · 1.69 TWh
- Other0.3% · 0.78 TWh
Wholesale prices in 2019
market index (MID), volume-weighted across APX and N2EXThe average UK wholesale electricity price in 2019 was £42.62 per MWh on the market index (MID) basis. Prices were negative for 30 hours across the year. The most expensive half hour came on 23 January 2019 (settlement period 32) at £152.00 per MWh; the cheapest, £-72.84, came on 8 December 2019.
Average price
£42.62
per MWh, volume-weighted
Highest half hour
£152
23 January 2019, period 32
Lowest half hour
£-72.84
8 December 2019
Negative price hours
30
price below £0/MWh
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 2019 compares
- Versus 2018: renewables +2.9 points, carbon intensity -25.1 g.
- Versus 2009, the first year on record: renewables up 22.4 points (from 3.4%), and each unit of electricity 57.5% cleaner (445 g to 189 g).
- Explore the neighbouring years: 2018 · 2020 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 2019", purelyenergy.co.uk/grid-report/2019. Derived from NESO historic generation mix data.
2019 grid questions, answered
How green was UK electricity in 2019?
In 2019, wind, solar and hydro supplied 25.8% of GB generation (31.7% including biomass), low-carbon sources supplied 49.8%, and the average carbon intensity was 189 gCO2 per kWh.
What was the biggest source of UK electricity in 2019?
Gas was the largest single source in 2019, supplying 39.3% of GB generation. The full fuel-by-fuel breakdown is on this page.
How much coal did the UK burn for electricity in 2019?
Coal supplied 2% of GB generation in 2019 (5.94 TWh), and the grid ran coal-free for 3,653 hours.
What was the average UK wholesale electricity price in 2019?
The average UK wholesale electricity price in 2019 was £42.62 per MWh on the market index (MID) basis, volume-weighted across the year's half-hourly trading.
How many hours were UK power prices negative in 2019?
UK wholesale power prices (market index basis) were negative for 30 hours in 2019.
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.
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