Britain’s wind turbines break new generation record for second time in a week

Britain’s wind turbines have set a new record for electricity generation, just days after the record was last broken, data shows.

Onshore and offshore wind farms set a record of more than 22.5 gigawatts (GW) of power on Wednesday, providing 68.3% of the country’s electricity.

The data from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) show the new record was set just days after wind power generated more than 22GW for the first time, with 22.4GW recorded on Sunday.

It comes as the Government publishes its latest figures for energy generation, which showed that renewables generated half of the UK’s electricity in the third quarter of the year, with wind alone contributing 36% of the country’s power.

Industry body RenewableUK said renewables had generated more than 50% of the country’s electricity for the last four consecutive quarters for the first time.

RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said: “Setting another clean electricity generation record just four days after the previous high shows the pivotal role wind is playing in keeping the country powered up during the festive season.

“This is also demonstrated by today’s official figures which reveal that renewables have generated more than half our electricity for four quarters in a row.

“This is a historic shift which shows that Britain’s successful transition to clean power is taking place at amazing speed, as we celebrate a landmark year for the UK’s world-class renewable energy sector.”