The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) released its latest report on UK Energy Trends for 2021.
Key points published within this document include:
- Energy consumption in 2020 was low, with energy requirements for industrial use and services down by 8% on 2019.
- In 2020, total production was 126.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent, 3.5% lower than in 2019. The most notable fall was in oil production, which was mainly the result of reduced demand. In the fourth quarter of 2020, total production was 32.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent, 7.8% lower than the fourth quarter of 2019.
- Total coal demand fell to 7.1 million tonnes in 2020, 11% lower than in 2019. Now, there are just four coal-fired power plans left in the UK, with plans to phase these out by 2025.
- In the fourth quarter of 2020, demand for coal by electricity generators fell to 554 thousand tonnes, 51% lower than in Q4 2019. However, coal imports rose in Q4 to 1.6 million tonnes (29% up since 2019).
- The final consumption of petroleum products was 24% lower than in 2019. The biggest decrease was the drop in demand for jet fuel, down 60% since last year – its lowest level since 1984.
- Indigenous production of primary oils was down 9.5% in Q4 compared to 2019, following delayed maintenance. Imports remained just over a fifth lower than in 2019, while exports were down 9.3%.
- Demand for gas in 2020 fell by 6.2% compared to 2019, to 805 TWh (the lowest levels since 2015). The service and industrial sectors were hit hard and demand for gas for electricity generation fell by 14% due to increased output from renewables.
- In Q4 of 2020, UK demand for natural gas was 252 TWh, down 4.2% in comparison to Q4 2019. Warm temperatures and increased renewable output saw a decline in demand across all sectors.
- The final consumption of electricity was 281 TWh in 2020, a decrease of 4.7% since 2019. Industrial use of electricity was down 9% and consumption by other final users decreased by 10.4%.
- Electricity consumed by the industrial sector fell by 4.8% in Q4 2020, when compared to Q4 2019. However renewable electricity generation was 34.4 TWh, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2019. Generation from fossil fuels also decreased by 6.3% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.
