Electricity capacity outlook in the United Kingdom 2021-2040, by source

As the UK gradually moves away from fossil fuel reliance, electricity generation from renewables is expected to increase in the coming decades. Projections indicate that, by 2040, more than half of major power producers' electricity generation capacity will be from renewable sources, amounting to 100 gigawatts. Although coal-generated electricity is expected to cease completely by 2025, natural gas is still expected to play a role in the UK's power mix.

Renewable sources

A lot can be owed to the wind power sector for the increase in renewable electricity generation and capacity. The capacity of onshore and offshore wind energy in the UK has increased annually since 2010, with onshore capacity consistently higher. Along with solar, hydro, and other sources, renewables accounted for almost 40 percent of the UK's electricity supply in 2021.

Nuclear power uncertainty

In 2021, nuclear power provided approximately seven percent of the UK's electricity generation capacity. Projections show a drop in 2025 and 2030, as several UK’s nuclear power plants are near the end of their life cycle, but a new increase by 2035. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UK government announced the expansion of nuclear energy, as part of the strategy to achieve energy independence. As of May 2022, two nuclear reactors were under construction in the UK.