In 2022, the plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom amounted to 43 percent, up from 41.3 percent a year earlier. Load factors are the ratio of how much electricity was produced as a share of the total generating capacity. In the past decade, the PLF of all power stations in the UK oscillated between a maximum of 46 percent in 2010 and a low of 39.4 percent in 2017.
Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022
Plant Load Factor (PLF) is the ratio between the actual energy generated by the plant to the maximum possible energy that can be generated with the plant working at its rated power and for a duration of an entire year. This includes combined cycle gas turbine stations, nuclear stations, pumped storage hydroelectricity stations as well as conventional thermal power stations such as coal-fired stations, steam plants, gas turbines and oil engines, and plants producing electricity from thermal renewable sources. It also includes wind (from 2008), solar (from 2015) and natural flow hydro, using capacity that has not been de-rated for intermittency.
All load factors are calculated using the supply and capacity of Major Power Producers. According to the source, the data cover the 12 months ending in March of the following year, e.g. 2020 data are for the year ending in March 2021.
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GOV.UK. (July 27, 2023). Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 10, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/
GOV.UK. "Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022." Chart. July 27, 2023. Statista. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/
GOV.UK. (2023). Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 10, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/
GOV.UK. "Plant Load Factor (Plf) of All Power Stations in The United Kingdom (Uk) from 2010 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Jul 2023, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/
GOV.UK, Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022 Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/ (last visited November 10, 2024)
Plant load factor (PLF) of all power stations in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2022 [Graph], GOV.UK, July 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/548885/plant-load-factor-power-stations-uk/