But _why_ has British (not UK! NI is in a different market) electricity become so much cleaner over the last 15 years? There have been two big shifts: –the decline in coal generation –the rise in wind generation With gas filling in the gaps. What drove those changes? - ThreadSky

dangrey.bsky.social • 162 days ago

But _why_ has British (not UK! NI is in a different market) electricity become so much cleaner over the last 15 years?

There have been two big shifts:
–the decline in coal generation
–the rise in wind generation

With gas filling in the gaps. What drove those changes?

Reposted from Simon Evans

+++NEW ANALYSIS+++

UK electricity was the cleanest ever in 2024, with emissions per unit falling by more than two-thirds in a decade

Highlights:
🏭end of coal power after 142yrs
🔥fossil fuels at record-low 29% share
🌄renewables at record-high 45%

www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/9

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dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

Coal was killed off primarily by the EU's Large Combustion Plant Directive which was passed in 2001. That required coal-fired power stations in member states to make a choice by 2009(!): either fit pollution control equipment to "scrub" sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxides from their exhausts

dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

or to "opt-out" and be limited to 20,000 hours of operation and shutting down by 2016. A large number of British coal-fired power stations, most of the "Hinton's Heavies" fleet, elected not to fit pollution control equipment, although some did (notably Ratcliffe-on-Soar and West Burton A).

dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

Why would owners not fit pollution control equipment? Because the equipment was expensive and so was the lime required for flue-gas desulphurisation – at least relative to gas-fired generation.

dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

In the early 2000s the UK was at self-sufficient in gas, and cheap pipeline gas was being used to fire a fleet of newly-built (since the early 90s) fleet of gas-fired power stations (these had also killed the business for any new nuclear after Sizewell B). This was the "dash for gas".

dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

As the LCPD began to kick in, a second wave of gas-fired plants began to be built from the late 2000s. Not emitting sulphur dioxide (causing acid rain) and very little NOx (causing toxic air pollution), these gas plants were unaffected by the LCPD.

dangrey.bsky.social•162 days ago

UK gas production began to decline from around 2003 but Norway was more than happy to sell us the short-fall – and we also struck very lucrative long-term LNG contracts with Qatar, and built new LNG import terminals – at Milford Haven and Grain.

drsimevans.carbonbrief.org•162 days ago

Thanks Dan. We provide an estimate for UK, aligned with DESNZ Energy Trends data. This piece was on the latest data rather than the long view. We've covered the long view / "why" elsewhere eg our feature on end of coal.

https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/coal-phaseout-UK/index.html

nicolasjulemont.bsky.social•162 days ago

It is unclear if nuclear is also part of it.

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