Ed Miliband’s Net Zero push for renewables failed to prevent a rise in UK carbon dioxide emissions last year as data show CO2 from UK power generation continued to increase. The Telegraph has more.
In a blow to the Energy Secretary’s decarbonisation drive, greenhouse gas emissions released from electricity producers were up 2.8% in 2025, according to energy analysts Montel.
That is despite a flood of new wind and solar farms being connected to the grid, alongside a planned move to switch off the UK’s last coal power station.
Montel blamed the increase on bottlenecks across the UK’s power network, which leads to turbines being switched off when the grid is too congested to accept their power.
This lost generating capacity then has to be replaced with electricity from gas-fired power stations, leading to extra emissions.
These power plants must also step in when output from wind and solar plummets, for instance when it is cloudy or when there’s no breeze.
Montel’s report said: “Power generated from carbon-emitting sources rose by 5.7% in 2025 compared to 2024 despite the complete removal of coal from the energy mix in September 2024.
“This led to a 2.8% increase in carbon emissions from power generation in GB compared to 2024.
“This reflects the continued reliance on gas-fired generation to provide flexibility and security of supply, particularly during periods of low renewable output or high demand.”
The latest figures highlight the ongoing importance of gas within the UK’s energy mix, casting doubt over Miliband’s pledge to achieve almost entirely clean power by 2030.
It also highlights the issue of wasted wind, which not only triggers higher emissions but also costs the taxpayer billions of pounds.
When wind turbines are asked to switch off, their owners can claim compensation through so-called constraint payments, the cost of which is then added to bills.
The National Energy System Operator, the organisation responsible for keeping the lights on, then has to pay a premium to fire up gas-fired power stations.
The combination of the two cost billpayers £1.5 billion last year.
Worth reading in full.
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Great photo of Moribund as the lonesome cowboy shooting a video of his latest hit single
All together now
‘Where hustle’s the name of the game
And nice guys get washed away like the snow in the rain
There’s been a load of compromising
On the road to my horizon
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me
Like a rhinestone cowboy’
Glenn Campbell
What an absolute shitshow, except they are messing with millions of peoples’ livelihoods here, these people are a nightmare.
Presumably, the answer is to increase spending on the Grid, to make it better at transmitting electricity around the country, and then to add more wind and solar.
(I’m channelling my inner Milibrain.)
The more you spend, the more you save (overall, over a long period of time, as long you’re not worried about cash flow). The reduced output from the older nuclear stations as they have been shutting down must be part of the snag. Only two large ones under construction at present – Hinkley Point C, and Sizewell C.
Some government published graphics: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/660445a1f9ab41001aeea416/Location_of_major_UK_electricity_generation_capacity_since_1920.pdf
Or you could pursue a different course of action that meant you didn’t need to spend money to “save” money. What we’re doing is like digging a hole then investing in better equipment to escape from it. Why not just stop digging?
Hear, hear!