List of active natural gas power stations in the United Kingdom

Last updated

As of 2023 there are 35 active gas fired combined cycle power plants and 14 single cycle power plants operating in the United Kingdom, which have a total generating capacity of 35.7 GW. [1]

Contents

Decline of gas for power in the United Kingdom

In 2016 gas fired power stations generated a total of 127 TWh of electricity. Dropping to 72 TWh in 2024, generating 26% of GB power. This is expected to fall to 5% by 2030, with total generation from other low carbon sources expected to exceed demand enabling net exports. [2]

The decline is largely due to the increase in renewable sources outweighing the decline of coal, and an overall reduction in demand. [3]

Phase-out of coal in the United Kingdom

In November 2015, the UK Government announced that all the remaining fourteen coal-fired power stations would be closed by 2025. [4] In November 2017 the UK Government co-founded the Powering Past Coal Alliance. In June 2021, the government said it would end coal power by October 2024. [5] [6]

The United Kingdom had continuously burned coal for the generation of electricity since the opening of Holborn Viaduct power station in 1882. On 21 April 2017, for the first time since 1882, the GB grid had a 24-hour period without any generation from coal power. [7] In May 2019 the GB grid went its first full week without any coal power. [8] In May 2020 the GB grid beat the previous record and did not use coal generation for over a month. [9]

By 2024, the use of coal power had decreased to historic lows not seen since before the Industrial Revolution. Coal supplied just 0.5% of GB electricity in 2024, [10] down from 30% in 2014. [11] UK electricity became entirely coal-free on 30 September 2024. [12]

List of active gas power stations

[13]

NameLocationOwnerDate commissionedPlanned closure dateTotal capacity (GW)NotesImage
Ballylumford C Northern Ireland EPUKi 20030.62 Ballylumford.jpg
Carrington North West ESB 20160.91 Carrington Power Station.jpg
Connahs Quay Wales Uniper 19961.38Fuelled by sour gas Connah's Quay power station - geograph.org.uk - 27576.jpg
Coolkeeragh Northern Ireland ESB 20040.41 Coolkeeragh power station.jpg
Corby East Midlands ESB 19940.41 Corby Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1419884.jpg
Coryton East England Intergen20020.80 Coryton Energy Company Ltd - geograph.org.uk - 585846.jpg
Cottam Development Centre East Midlands Uniper 19980.45 Harvesting in the shadow of the power station - geograph.org.uk - 209223.jpg
Damhead Creek South East Vitol 20000.81 Damhead Creek Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1076819.jpg
Didcot B South East RWE Generation UK 19981.45 Didcot power station.jpg
Enfield London Uniper 19990.41 Gas Fired Electricity Generating station Brimsdown - geograph.org.uk - 36188.jpg
Grain CHP South East Uniper 20111.52 Grain Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1354932.jpg
Great Yarmouth East England RWE Generation UK 20010.42 Power Station - Great Yarmouth - geograph.org.uk - 442475.jpg
Keadby Yorkshire and Humber SSE plc 19940.74 Keadby power station.jpg
Langage South West EPUKi 20100.91 Langage Power Station.jpg
Little Barford East England RWE Generation UK 19950.72 Little Barford Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1539834.jpg
Marchwood South East Marchwood Power (50% MEAG, 50% SSE plc)20090.90 Marchwood Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1506650.jpg
Medway South East SSE plc 19950.76 Medway Power Station, Isle of Grain - geograph.org.uk - 648321.jpg
Pembroke B Wales RWE Generation UK 20122.20 Pembroke Power Station-Geograph-3601523-by-David-Medcalf.jpg
Peterhead Scotland SSE plc 20001.18 Peterhead Power Station from Boddam.JPG
Rocksavage North West Intergen19980.81 Rocksavage over M56 - geograph.org.uk - 747526.jpg
Rye House East England Vitol 19930.72 Rye House Power Station - panoramio.jpg
Saltend Yorkshire and Humber Triton Power (50% Equinor, 50% SSE plc)20001.20Triton Power sold by Energy Capital Partners to Equinor and SSE in 2022 [14] Saltend Power Station seen from Goxhill Haven.jpg
Seabank South West Seabank Power (50% CK Infrastructure Holdings, 50% SSE plc)20001.23 Seabank power station.jpg
Shoreham South East Vitol 20000.42 Shoreham Harbour Gas-fired Power Station Viewed From The East Breakwater - geograph.org.uk - 1013362.jpg
South Humber Bank Yorkshire and Humber EPUKi 19971.37 Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 536182.jpg
Spalding East Midlands Intergen20040.95 River Welland at high tide. - geograph.org.uk - 188931.jpg
Staythorpe C East Midlands RWE Generation UK 20101.77Built on the site of two former CEGB coal-fired power stations, the 360 MW Staythorpe A and B [15] Staythorpe Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 1599201.jpg
VPI Immingham Yorkshire and Humber Vitol 20041.25 Conoco-Philips Power Station - geograph.org.uk - 155043.jpg
West Burton B East Midlands TotalEnergies 20131.33Sold by EIG Global Energy Partners to TotalEnergies in 2024 [16] View from Upper Ings Lane - geograph.org.uk - 285251.jpg

See also

References

  1. "Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES): electricity". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  2. "Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity – main report". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  3. "Drax Electric Insights". Drax Electric Insights. Drax Group . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. Gosden, Emily (18 November 2015). "UK coal plants must close by 2025, Amber Rudd announces". The Independent . London. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  5. "UK to end coal power by 2024". 30 June 2021.
  6. "End to coal power brought forward to October 2024". gov.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  7. "British power generation achieves first ever coal-free day". The Guardian . London. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  8. "Britain passes one week without coal power for first time since 1882". The Guardian . London. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  9. "Britain hits coal-free month milestone as demand remains low". Current News . London. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  10. "Analysis: UK electricity from fossil fuels drops to lowest level since 1957". CarbonBrief. 21 February 2024 via www.carbonbrief.org.
  11. Evans, Simon (10 February 2016). "Countdown to 2025: Tracking the UK coal phase out". Carbon Brief. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  12. "UK to close last coal power station after 142 years". BBC News. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  13. "Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES): electricity". GOV.UK. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  14. "Equinor and SSE Thermal acquire Triton Power and prepare for transition to hydrogen" (Press release). Equinor. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  15. "E.ON Next".
  16. "TotalEnergies acquires a gas-fired power plant in the UK" (Press release). TotalEnergies UK. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2025.