Thursday 20 June 2019

UK goes record-breaking 1,838 hours coal-free already this year

The UK has gone a record-breaking 1,976 hours without using coal to generate electricity already this year.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has highlighted that 2018’s record of 1975.5 coal-free hours has been broken only slightly more than six months of the way through 2019.

It says using less of the fossil fuel has cut around five million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent a car would produce while driving a distance of more than 12 billion miles.

The time adds up to a total of 86 days without using coal - earlier this month the nation lasted nineteen consecutive days and six hours without using the polluting fuel source to create electricity, the first time this has been done in the UK since the Industrial Revolution.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore said: "Coal is fast becoming the fossil of our energy system and it will soon be consigned to the history books.

"To ensure this happens as soon as possible, we have committed to phasing out coal entirely by 2025 and we’re supporting our world leading renewables sector to thrive through record levels of investment."