Wind provided more electricity than ever last year as the UK moved further away from planet-warming fossil fuels to power the nation, new data shows.
Wind generated nearly 83 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity across Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), up from nearly 79TWh in 2023, show figures from the National Energy System Operator (Neso), which coordinates electricity distribution.
Electricity generation from major fossil fuel power stations fell to just over a quarter of the total last year as other renewable sources, such as solar, also rose, along with electricity imports.
The government wants less than 5% of electricity to come from polluting fossil fuels by 2030.
Neso – the government’s independent system planner and operator for the energy transition – has previously described the government’s ‘Clean Power 2030 Action Plan’ as “achievable” but “at the limit of what is feasible”.
The government considers clean electricity to include renewables, such as wind, solar, hydropower and bioenergy, as well as nuclear power.
Together, these sources generated around 56% of Great Britain’s electricity in 2024 – a new high, according to preliminary Neso data that will be confirmed this week.
Major fossil fuel generation (mainly gas) fell to 26%, while a further 16% came from imported electricity.
Neso data does not cover Northern Ireland, which has its own electricity transmission system operator, SONI.
The figures only include fossil fuel and biomass generation from major power stations connected to the main transmission network. For these sources, Neso does not include smaller-scale operators that feed in electricity at a local level, although typically these contribute a relatively small fraction of fossil fuel power.
As a result, government figures for 2024 due in March, which will take
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