The electricity generation industry
The electricity generation sector has undergone significant changes in the last 25 years. In the early 1980s coal generation provided over 80% of the UK’s electricity, the nuclear industry accounted for 12%, and the remainder was made up from hydro and small thermal plants.
Since then six new nuclear stations have been commissioned and some of the older ones have closed. A moratorium on gas generation was lifted in 1990 and it’s use has been on the increase ever since. Generation from renewable sources has also become more widespread, primarily due to growing use of biofuels such as landfill gas, but also because of increased onshore wind generation. These changes have been at the expense of coal generation.
