The 104TWh generated from fossil fuels in 2023 is the lowest level in 66 years a Carbon Brief analysis reveals.

Electricity from fossil fuels has now fallen by two-thirds (199TWh) since peaking in 2008. Within that total, coal has dropped by 115TWh (97 per cent) and gas by 80TWh (45 per cent).

The declines have been caused by the rapid expansion of renewable energy (up six-fold since 2008, at 113TWh) and by lower electricity demand (down 21 per cent since 2008, some 83TWh).


As a result, fossil fuels made up just 33 per cent of UK electricity supplies in 2023 – their lowest ever share – of which gas was 31 per cent, with coal and oil at just 1 per cent each.

Meanwhile, low-carbon sources made up 56 per cent of the total, of which renewables were 43 per cent and nuclear 13 per cent.

Electricity generation is vital to the Government’s net-zero plans, as it replaces other fuels and storage in areas such as heating (such as heat pumps) and transport (petrol) so a continuing push to lower carbon generation is needed.

The other side of the equation is that use has declined, as more efficient devices (such as LED lights) and better insulation have taken affect – together with a greater general awareness of climate change and energy use and shift in industrial trends. Electricity started to “decouple” from economic growth in the early 2000s, leading to a peak in 2005. Since then, demand has dropped precipitously, falling from 396TWh in 2008 to 313TWh in 2023.

The Government’s ambition is to have 95 per cent of the country’s electricity from low-carbon sources by 2030, which would mean an increase of 39 percentage points in seven years and then to fully decarbonise the grid by 2035.

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