Share of coal in UK's electricity system falls to record lows

(The Guardian, 30 Aug 2019) Average of 0.7% of total second-quarter electricity generated came from most polluting power plants.

The share of coal in the UK’s electricity system has fallen to record lows in recent months, according to government data.

The figures show electricity generated by the UK’s most polluting power plants made up an average of 0.7% of the total in the second quarter of this year. The amount of coal used to power the electricity grid fell by almost two-thirds compared with the same months last year.

A government spokesperson said coal-generated energy “will soon be a distant memory” as the UK moves towards becoming a net zero emissions economy.

“This new record low is a result of our world-leading low-carbon energy industry, which provided more than half of our energy last year and continues to go from strength to strength as we aim to end our contribution to climate change entirely by 2050,” the spokesperson said.

The UK electricity market is on track to phase out coal-fired power generation entirely by the government’s target date of 2025.

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The Guardian, 30 Aug 2019: Share of coal in UK's electricity system falls to record lows