UK electricity generation mix, live
Right now gas is the biggest source at 39%, renewables are making 41% and low-carbon sources 55%.
Live data, updated .
Generation mix: what is generating
last 24 hours, GW
the numbers
- Wind24%
- Solar7%
- Nuclear14%
- Gas39%
- Biomass9%
- Hydro2%
- Pumped storage0%
- Imports4%
- Other2%
solar and some wind sit on local networks with no live meter, so those two come from NESO's half-hourly estimate
More on the generation mix →Power flow right now
live, all of Britain in one tank
the numbers
| What | Direction | MW |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | in | 8,335 MW |
| Solar | in | 2,301 MW |
| Nuclear | in | 4,925 MW |
| Gas | in | 13,658 MW |
| Biomass | in | 3,118 MW |
| Hydro | in | 712 MW |
| Other | in | 620 MW |
| BritNed (Netherlands) | in | 431 MW |
| Nemo (Belgium) | in | 201 MW |
| NSL (Norway) | in | 1,400 MW |
| Viking (Denmark) | in | 849 MW |
| East-West (Ireland) | out | 467 MW |
| IFA (France) | out | 86 MW |
| Greenlink (Ireland) | out | 514 MW |
| IFA2 (France) | out | 129 MW |
| Moyle (N. Ireland) | out | 452 MW |
| Pumped hydro draining | in | 94 MW |
| Homes and industry | out | 34,996 MW |
Wind and solar forecast
latest forecast, GW
- Wind
- Solar
the numbers
whole of Britain, rooftop solar and embedded wind included
More on the generation mix →Generation right now
| Source | Output | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | 13.7 GW | 39.0% |
| Wind | 8.3 GW | 23.8% |
| Nuclear | 4.9 GW | 14.1% |
| Biomass | 3.1 GW | 8.9% |
| Solar | 2.3 GW | 6.6% |
| Imports | 1.2 GW | 3.5% |
| Hydro | 0.7 GW | 2.0% |
| Other | 0.6 GW | 1.8% |
| Pumped storage | 0.1 GW | 0.3% |
Shares are of electricity generated in or imported to Great Britain. Pumped storage counts when it is generating; when it is pumping it is using power instead.
How Britain's mix works
Gas power stations are the flexible backbone: they ramp up when demand is high or the wind drops, which is why the mix leans on gas on cold, still evenings. Wind is now the largest renewable source and on blustery days can provide more than half of all electricity. Nuclear runs steadily around the clock. Solar peaks around midday and is much stronger in summer. Biomass, mostly at Drax, burns wood pellets. Imports from Europe and Ireland fill gaps and flow the other way when Britain has power to spare.
Because the mix drives both carbon intensity and wholesale prices, windy, sunny hours are both the cleanest and the cheapest, which is exactly when tariffs like Agile are cheapest.
Common questions
Where does the UK get its electricity from?
Great Britain's electricity comes mainly from gas, wind, nuclear, imports through undersea cables, biomass and solar, with smaller amounts from hydro and pumped storage. The mix changes hour by hour with the weather: on a windy day wind can supply more than half, and on a still winter evening gas does most of the work.
How much of the UK's electricity is renewable?
It varies through the day. This page shows the live share. Renewable here means wind, solar, hydro and biomass. Adding nuclear gives the low-carbon share.
Does the UK still use coal for electricity?
No. Britain's last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, closed on 30 September 2024, ending more than 140 years of coal-fired electricity.
Why is solar an estimate?
Most solar panels are on rooftops and small sites connected to local networks, not to the national grid, so they are not metered centrally. NESO estimates their output, and we add that estimate so the mix reflects what is really being generated.
What counts as imports?
Imports are electricity flowing into Britain through the undersea cables (interconnectors) from France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. See the interconnectors page for each cable.