11th February 2020 | Posted by: Daniel Birkett | Industry News

The UK saw record breaking levels of wind generation on the 8th of February as a result of Storm Ciara.

Wind generation achieved a record share of the UK’s electricity mix on the 8th February during the brunt of Storm Ciara.

At one point, wind generation accounted for 56% of the UK energy mix over the weekend as the country was hit by extreme weather. Wind production outweighed both gas and nuclear generation, with nuclear providing just 18.4% and gas making up 17.73% of the mix.

The previous record for wind generation in the UK was 53.4% which was set in September 2019 according to power generation insights at the time. This latest record was set during the early hours of Saturday 8th February.

Not only was this the highest level of wind power recorded in the UK, it was also the highest share of any power source during a single day.

The United Kingdom currently has 13.57GW of installed onshore wind capacity and leads the world in offshore capacity with 8.4GW. It is thought that current government policies are hindering the growth of onshore wind installations, while the offshore wind sector is booming due to the part it plays in the nation’s Industrial Strategy.

The storm itself caused chaos across the country’s travel networks and infrastructure, including severe flooding and the loss of power in thousands of homes.

Senior Press and Public Affairs Manager at the Energy Networks Association, Peter Kocen said: The extreme weather of Storm Ciara has caused significant damage to network infrastructure across UK, and we would like to thank people for their patience as engineers work to carry out the necessary repairs.

“The network companies have been working throughout the night to restore power supplies. As of this morning, power has been restored to 720,000 customers and 25,000 remain without power. Work will continue to get people back on as quickly and safely as possible.”

You can find daily updates of how the UK produces its power by checking Apollo Energy’s Power Generation Insights page.