Home Kate Rose Morley on Mastodon

National Grid: Live

The National Grid is the electric power transmission network for Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales)

Time
1:25pm
Price
£180.00/MWh
Emissions
113g/kWh
Demand
33.4GW
Generation
27.3GW
Transfers
6.1GW

Generation

Generation
27.3GW
81.7%
Note: percentages are relative to demand, so will exceed 100% if power is being exported

19.8% fossil fuels

Coal 0.000.0
Gas 6.6319.8

42.1% renewables

Solar 3.6310.8
Wind 9.8829.5
Hydroelectric 0.571.7

19.8% other sources

Nuclear 4.3112.9
Biomass 1.925.7
Other0.401.2

18.3% transfers

Imports and exports

Belgium 1.003.0
France 3.4910.4
Ireland −0.84−2.5
Netherlands 1.053.1
Norway 1.103.3

Storage

Pumped storage 0.331.0
Time
Past day
Price
£138.65/MWh
Emissions
127g/kWh
Demand
28.9GW
Generation
22.9GW
Transfers
6.0GW
Generation
22.9GW
79.3%

Generation by type

Fossil fuels7.024.1
Renewables9.432.6
Other sources6.522.6

Generation by source

Coal0.000.0
Gas6.9824.1
Solar1.264.3
Wind7.5826.2
Hydroelectric0.582.0
Nuclear4.3014.9
Biomass1.896.5
Other0.341.2

Imports and exports

Belgium0.812.8
France3.4612.0
Ireland−0.42−1.5
Netherlands0.742.6
Norway1.093.8

Storage

Pumped storage0.321.1

Price per MWh

£500
£450
£400
£350
£300
£250
£200
£150
£100
£50
£0
3:30pm
9:30pm
4:30am
10:30am

Emissions per kWh

600g
500g
400g
300g
200g
100g
0g
3:30pm
9:30pm
4:30am
10:30am

Demand

40GW
35GW
30GW
25GW
20GW
15GW
10GW
5GW
0GW
−5GW
3:30pm
9:30pm
4:30am
10:30am

Generation

20GW
18GW
16GW
14GW
12GW
10GW
8GW
6GW
4GW
2GW
0GW
3:30pm
9:30pm
4:30am
10:30am

Transfers

4GW
3GW
2GW
1GW
0GW
−1GW
−2GW
−3GW
3:30pm
9:30pm
4:30am
10:30am
Time
Past week
Price
£92.45/MWh
Emissions
105g/kWh
Demand
30.5GW
Generation
26.7GW
Transfers
3.8GW
Generation
26.7GW
87.6%

Generation by type

Fossil fuels6.822.2
Renewables14.547.6
Other sources5.417.8

Generation by source

Coal0.000.0
Gas6.7722.2
Solar1.304.3
Wind12.7841.9
Hydroelectric0.411.4
Nuclear4.0313.2
Biomass1.113.6
Other0.280.9

Imports and exports

Belgium0.451.5
France2.046.7
Ireland−0.15−0.5
Netherlands0.652.1
Norway0.812.7

Storage

Pumped storage−0.01−0.0

Price per MWh

£500
£450
£400
£350
£300
£250
£200
£150
£100
£50
£0
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Emissions per kWh

600g
500g
400g
300g
200g
100g
0g
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Demand

40GW
35GW
30GW
25GW
20GW
15GW
10GW
5GW
0GW
−5GW
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Generation

20GW
18GW
16GW
14GW
12GW
10GW
8GW
6GW
4GW
2GW
0GW
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Transfers

4GW
3GW
2GW
1GW
0GW
−1GW
−2GW
−3GW
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Time
Past year
Price
£187.75/MWh
Emissions
183g/kWh
Demand
30.1GW
Generation
30.4GW
Transfers
0.3GW
Generation
30.4GW
101.0%

Generation by type

Fossil fuels13.244.0
Renewables10.434.5
Other sources6.822.5

Generation by source

Coal0.411.4
Gas12.8342.6
Solar1.384.6
Wind8.6428.7
Hydroelectric0.371.2
Nuclear4.8516.1
Biomass1.615.3
Other0.301.0

Imports and exports

Belgium0.040.1
France−0.92−3.1
Ireland0.020.1
Netherlands0.180.6
Norway0.371.2

Storage

Pumped storage0.010.0

Price per MWh

£500
£450
£400
£350
£300
£250
£200
£150
£100
£50
£0
02/05/2022
01/08/2022
31/10/2022
30/01/2023

Emissions per kWh

600g
500g
400g
300g
200g
100g
0g
02/05/2022
01/08/2022
31/10/2022
30/01/2023

Demand

40GW
35GW
30GW
25GW
20GW
15GW
10GW
5GW
0GW
−5GW
02/05/2022
01/08/2022
31/10/2022
30/01/2023

Generation

20GW
18GW
16GW
14GW
12GW
10GW
8GW
6GW
4GW
2GW
0GW
02/05/2022
01/08/2022
31/10/2022
30/01/2023

Transfers

4GW
3GW
2GW
1GW
0GW
−1GW
−2GW
−3GW
02/05/2022
01/08/2022
31/10/2022
30/01/2023
Time
All time
Price
£66.38/MWh
Emissions
289g/kWh
Demand
33.6GW
Generation
31.8GW
Transfers
1.8GW
Generation
31.8GW
94.6%

Generation by type

Fossil fuels16.950.3
Renewables6.820.2
Other sources8.124.1

Generation by source

Coal5.2715.7
Gas11.6534.6
Solar0.993.0
Wind5.4016.1
Hydroelectric0.411.2
Nuclear6.5819.5
Biomass1.444.3
Other0.080.2

Imports and exports

Belgium0.190.6
France1.043.1
Ireland−0.11−0.3
Netherlands0.672.0
Norway0.060.2

Storage

Pumped storage−0.03−0.1

Price per MWh

£500
£450
£400
£350
£300
£250
£200
£150
£100
£50
£0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Emissions per kWh

600g
500g
400g
300g
200g
100g
0g
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Demand

40GW
35GW
30GW
25GW
20GW
15GW
10GW
5GW
0GW
−5GW
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Generation

20GW
18GW
16GW
14GW
12GW
10GW
8GW
6GW
4GW
2GW
0GW
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Transfers

4GW
3GW
2GW
1GW
0GW
−1GW
−2GW
−3GW
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

The decline of coal

The world’s first coal-fired power station, at 57 Holborn Viaduct in London, started producing power on 12th January 1882, lighting the surrounding streets and local buildings through 968 incandescent lamps. Coal fuelled the industrial revolution, and by 1900 Great Britain was mining 250,000,000 tonnes of coal every year.

Over time the negative environmental impacts of coal burning became an increasing problem, and in 2001 the European Union issued the Large Combustion Plant Directive, obliging power stations to limit their emissions or close by 2015.

As a result, nine coal-fired power stations closed between 2012 and 2015. Great Britain’s largest power station, Drax, has been converted to burn wood pellets imported from North America (categorised as biomass in the data above).

On 21st April 2015 Great Britain went a full day without any power generation from coal, and between 1st May and 8th May 2019 a week passed without power generation from coal.

The ascent of wind

Great Britain’s exposed position in the north-east Atlantic makes it one of the best locations in the world for wind power, and the shallow waters of the North Sea host several of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.

New wind power records are set regularly, and between 6:30pm and 7:00pm on 10th January 2023 British wind farms averaged a record 21.69GW of generation.

PowerDate first achieved
21GW10th January 2023
20GW2nd November 2022

Data sources

Most data comes from the Balancing Mechanism Reporting System and is updated at five minute intervals. Embedded solar and wind data comes from National Grid ESO and is updated at half hour intervals. Emissions data comes from the Carbon Intensity project by the National Grid and the University Of Oxford Department Of Computer Science, and is updated at half hour intervals.