Britain Hits Renewable Power Record in 2025, but Fossil Fuel Use Also Up

Britain Achieves Record Renewable Power in 2025, Yet Fossil Fuel Use Climbs

Britain’s Electricity Generation and Energy Mix in 2025

LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) - Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.

Britain has a target to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030, which will require a huge scale-up of renewable power.

Key Highlights from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

• Renewable Generation Reaches New Heights

  • Renewable generation in 2025 reached a record 152.5 terawatt hours, up 5.7% from 2024, driven by record output from offshore wind, solar and bioenergy, data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero showed.

• Fossil Fuel and Gas Power Trends

  • Gas power generation rose by 4.7% and was the largest single source of electricity supplies, providing 31.5% of total generation.

• Offshore Wind and Other Renewable Sources

  • Offshore wind generation increased by 6.6% in 2025 as more capacity was added.

• Nuclear Power Decline

  • Higher gas and renewables plugged a drop in nuclear generation which fell by 12% to 35.9 TWh, with older plants decommissioned and increased outages across the ageing fleet.

• End of Coal-Fired Power Generation

  • Last year was the first in more than 140 years with no coal-fired power generation in the country after the last plant closed in 2024.

• Electricity Imports and Demand

  • Net electricity imports fell 11% from 2024's record high to 29.7 TWh.
  • Total electricity demand increased slightly, up 0.2% to 320.2 TWh.

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions

  • Separately, the government said on Thursday that greenhouse gas emissions fell 2% in Britain in 2025, with emissions from the electricity sector down 1%.

Reporting and Editorial Credits

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)