Wind farms generate record power on cold November evening

Britain’s wind farms set a new generation record last week after producing 22.7 gigawatts of electricity on Tuesday evening, enough to power more than 22 million homes.

The milestone was reached at 7.30pm on 11 November, according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), surpassing the previous record of 22.5GW set in December 2024.

Wind power made up 55.7% of the electricity mix at the time of the peak. Although not a record percentage share, it represented a significant shift in how Britain’s energy system performs during periods of high demand. Gas contributed just 12.5%, with imports providing 11.3% through subsea interconnectors. Nuclear and biomass each supplied 8%, while hydroelectric plants accounted for 1.4% and storage for 1.1%.

Britain now has around 32GW of installed wind capacity, split almost evenly between onshore and offshore sites. Five of the world’s largest offshore wind farms sit in UK waters. The government aims to double onshore wind and quadruple offshore capacity by 2030 as part of its transition to a clean-energy system.

Kayte O’Neill, Neso’s chief operating officer, said the performance demonstrated the progress made in renewable energy.

“This is a world-beating record, showing that our national grid can run safely and securely on large quantities of renewables generated right here in Britain,” she said. “We’ve come on leaps and bounds in recent years. It really shows what is possible and I look forward to seeing whether we can hit another clean-energy milestone: running Britain’s electricity grid entirely zero carbon.”

Despite the strong performance, high-wind days continue to pose challenges. Britain’s transmission network has struggled to transport electricity from remote wind farms to urban centres, forcing Neso to pay record sums to curtail wind generation and call on gas plants closer to demand. So far this year, the operator has spent nearly £1.3 billion managing these constraints.

However, the record-setting period on 11 November required only negligible curtailment. Neso spent just £4.73 switching off wind generation and £26.21 on replacement power during the half hour in which the peak was recorded, according to the Wasted Wind tracker.

Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive of Renewable UK, said the achievement highlighted wind power’s growing role in the energy system.

“On a cold, dark November evening, wind was generating enough electricity to power 80% of British homes when we needed it most,” she said. “This record is a clear example of wind taking its place at the heart of our clean energy system as we move away from volatile fossil fuel prices.”