Thursday 25 July 2019

UK’s overall emissions dropped by 9.1m tonnes in 2018

UK’s overall emissions dropped by 9.1m tonnes in 2018

The UK's overall emissions fell by 9.1 million tonnes in 2018.

That's according to a new release of statistics from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which shows there was a 2.4% year-on-year decrease from 2017's figures.

The department of government suggests the fall to 364.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2018 was largely a result of changes in the fuel mix used for electricity generation, as there was a general trend away from fossil fuel-fired power such as coal and gas in favour of more renewable electricity being produced.

The BEIS statistics show coal power dropped by a quarter over the period, while natural gas generation also fell by 3.8%.

Simultaneously renewable electricity production soared by 12%, making up a record level of 33% of power in 2018, up from 29.2% in 2017, due to increased wind, solar and plant biomass capacity.

In 2018, UK energy production was up 2.9% on a year earlier. The rise was driven by growth from primary oil, wind, solar and bioenergy and waste. Overall fossil fuel production increased but with coal reaching a record low.

It says despite this, fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy supply - however, at 79.4% this is a record low level.

Final energy consumption rose by 1.1% as demand for heating increased during February and March 2018 with temperature adjusted final energy consumption up by 0.2% on 2017 levels.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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