The UK starts the new year remaining a global leader in the transition to renewable energy. New data indicates that wind power is now the largest source of electricity, exceeding natural gas and coal in the UK. The UK Government has continued to emphasise its commitment to prioritising this movement towards green energy.

According to data from the National Energy System Operator (NESCO), onshore and offshore wind turbines combined account for nearly 30% of all electric power in the UK. Wind energy has experienced an ongoing rise, reaching a capacity of over 30 MW from the end of August last year, while gas, which previously dominated the UK energy industry continued to decline.

The data from NESCO indicated that gas now accounts for about 25% of the UK’s power supply, decreasing from 32% in 2023. Gas has been the biggest energy source since 2013, after exceeding coal. NESCO predicts that this year, there will be times when the UK uses no gas for power generation. Despite these forecasts, gas will likely be a critical power reserve when wind power declines. In the long term, the wind industry is exploring batteries and storage to enable ongoing generation capacity.

The continued shift away from depending on natural gas and supportive policies to accelerate the transition provoked US President Trump to suggest the UK is making a big mistake, choosing wind energy over oil and gas.

Nearly 60% of the power from renewable energy derives from the wind energy industry, with onshore and offshore turbines relatively balanced as the main source of power. Ana Musat, the executive director of policy and engagement for RenewableUK, highlighted that it took over 25 years for the UK to reach 15GW of wind energy. This figure doubled in just seven years. The UK Government has emphasised a strong stance towards accelerating renewable energy in the UK. Government policy aims to double onshore wind energy by 2030 and quadruple offshore wind energy production by the end of the decade.

The UK Government acknowledges the challenges in the wind industry, aiming to establish new efforts to support renewable energy development. The UK’s offshore wind industry has an existing capacity of nearly 14GW, making it the largest in Europe and second only to China in total capacity. By 2028, industry forecast expects this figure to increase to 28.6 GW and continue growing in the years to come. The UK has nearly 2,800 offshore wind turbines and plans to build an additional 3,500 turbines to reach a target of 50GW by 2030.

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