UK primary energy production fell by a record 14 per cent in 2011 to 136.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent, following sharp falls in output from the UK Continental Shelf as a result of maintenance activity and slowdowns. On an annual basis, petroleum was down by 17 per cent, with gas production down by 20 per cent.
Low carbon energy production grew – nuclear output was up 11 per cent, due to increased availability following a number of outages in 2010; wind output from major power producers was up by 59 per cent on additional capacity and higher wind speeds; with hydro up by 70 per cent following strong rainfall in Northern Scotland.
Gas accounted for 41 per cent of electricity supplied in 2011, with coal accounting for 32 per cent and nuclear 20 per cent. The share of generation by gas has fallen from 48% in 2010, with increases in the shares of generation for all other fuel sources.
Wind’s share of generation by major power producers has grown from 2.4 per cent to 4.0 per cent in 2011; with hydro’s share up from 0.8 to 1.5 per cent. Low carbon sources accounted for over 25 per cent of major power producers generation in 2011, up 5 percentage points on 2010 levels.