UK electricity generation share: nuclear
UK electricity generation share: nuclear stood at 16.92% on Oct 18, 2026, according to National Energy System Operator (NESO) data portal. It is one of the indicators in the Electricity system, daily table (Value · Daily), with a complete series running from Jul 31, 2025 to Oct 18, 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Electricity system, daily table
| Indicator | 18-10-2026 | 17-10-2026 | 16-10-2026 | 15-10-2026 | 14-10-2026 | 13-10-2026 | 12-10-2026 | 11-10-2026 | 10-10-2026 | 09-10-2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of generation by fuel | |||||||||||
| Nuclear | 16.92 | 16.69 | 15.24 | 13.46 | 13.67 | 12.01 | 11.81 | 14.85 | 12.37 | 12.27 | |
| Solar | 5.29 | 6.18 | 4.99 | 3.7 | 5 | 5.16 | 1.9 | 5.9 | 4.53 | 3.17 |
Understanding UK electricity generation share: nuclear
The proportion of total daily electricity generated by nuclear fission power stations operating within the Great Britain network is calculated as a percentage. This metric reflects stable baseload output relative to total system generation across all fuel types. Unlike intermittent renewable sources or flexible gas plant shares, this series typically displays high persistence, varying primarily when reactors undergo scheduled refuelling outages or unexpected technical shutdowns.
When evaluating the data, analysts must account for long-term structural changes as older facilities retire and new nuclear projects come online over extended horizons. Day-to-day comparisons offer little insight due to the steady nature of nuclear operations, making annual or multi-year trend analysis the appropriate approach. Observers should avoid attributing short-term fluctuations in system carbon intensity solely to nuclear output without factoring in simultaneous shifts in weather-dependent generation.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does nuclear generation remain relatively constant day-to-day?
- Nuclear reactors are designed to run continuously at high capacity factors rather than following daily demand curves.
- How do planned maintenance outages impact the share percentage?
- Refuelling outages temporarily remove large blocks of generation capacity, causing noticeable drops in the daily share metric.
- Does the series cover nuclear plants located in Northern Ireland?
- No, the geographic scope is strictly limited to Great Britain.