UK bioenergy production up during the third quarter

The U.K. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy released updated energy statistics in late December, reporting that the share of low carbon electricity accounted for a record high of 54.4 percent during the third quarter of 2017, up from 50.2 percent during the same period of 2016. The increase is primarily attributed to increased renewables generation.

The report notes that energy production from bioenergy and waste reached 2.2 million metric tons of oil equivalent during the third quarter, up 24.4 percent when compared to the same three-month period of 2016.

Electricity generation from bioenergy, including cofiring, reached 7.6 terawatts during the third quarter, up 22.8 percent when compared to the third quarter of 2016. Within this, generation from plant biomass was up 35 percent. The increase is mainly attributed to increased availability at Drax following extensive outages a year earlier. The report notes that the increase from Drax was slightly offset by reduced generation from landfill gas.

As of the close of the third quarter, the DBEIS said that bioenergy accounted for approximately 15 percent of renewable capacity in the U.K.