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Renewables hit new quarterly record for UK electricity generation

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Energy Global,

RenewableUK has reported new statistics released by the government show that renewables generated a record 53.1% of the UK’s electricity in 1Q26, an increase of 7.4% compared to the same period in 2025. This was largely driven by a significant increase in wind generation, which accounted for over 29% of electricity during the last quarter and saw an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year, thanks to both increased capacity and higher wind speeds.

These figures appear in the latest Energy Trends report by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which shows that renewable electricity generation hit a new record of 43.7 TWh, representing an increase of 18% compared to 1Q25 (37TWh).

Low carbon generation, which includes renewables alongside nuclear energy, accounted for 63.8% of electricity generation, up 6.5% on the same period last year, with the share of generation from fossil fuels falling to 32.8%. Gas demand also fell by 5.1%, driven by a 17% decrease in its use for electricity generation, which was in part caused by record generation from wind in the last quarter.

Wind generation increased to 35.6% of total generation (a record 29.3TWh), up from 28.5% (19.5TWh) in 1Q25, due to both increases in capacity and high wind speeds.

Offshore wind provided 20.5% (16.9TWh) of total generation in 1Q26, up from 16% (12.9TWh) in 1Q25.

Onshore wind provided 15.1% (9.6TWh) of total generation in 1Q26, compared to 11.7% (7.3TWh) in 1Q25.

Wind generated 60.8% of all renewable electricity in 1Q26, compared to 55% in the corresponding period of 2025.

Alongside wind, solar energy was the only other renewable technology to see an increase in generation during the last quarter, up 1.8% to 2.7TWh, compared to 2.65TWh in 1Q25.

Nuclear generation fell by 7%, from 9.51TWh in 1Q25 to 8.83TWh in 1Q26, due to outages across the UK’s nuclear fleet. The overall increase in low carbon generation occurred despite this drop, which was offset by strong output both onshore and offshore wind.

RenewableUK's Executive Director of Policy and Engagement, Ana Musat, said: “Renewable energy continues to break records, and these latest figures further underline its position as the backbone of our power system. Wind has once again led the way, with a significant increase that has seen it comprehensively outstrip costly and volatile gas. As legacy assets retire over the next few years, increased generation from renewables will continue to play a key role in guaranteeing our energy security.

“This progress has been driven in part by the ongoing rollout of projects across the country and is only set to increase as we prepare for the government’s next clean energy auction, which is set to open in just a few weeks and will see record levels of offshore capacity eligible to bid.”

 

 

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

Energy Global’s Summer 2026 issue

The Summer issue of 2026 is out now! The new issue starts with a regional report on Latin America and the Caribbean, considering the benefits and challenges of renewable energy development in the region. The issue also covers topics such as lubricants, digitalisation, the importance of ports, battery storage technology, and more! With contributors from industry leaders including ABB, WindEurope, Sungrow, among others, this is an issue not to miss.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/02072026/renewables-hit-new-quarterly-record-for-uk-electricity-generation/

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