STATISTICS 2016

million toe from the 2013 peak of 102 million toe. Net imports accounted for 38 per cent of energy
used in the UK in 2015, down from their share of 46 per cent in 2014.
1.9 Total primary energy demand was 0.5 per cent higher in 2015 than in 2014 at 202.5 mtoe. The
very small difference between demand and supply is classed as the statistical difference, which is
explained in paragraph 1.62. The slight rise in demand compared to a year earlier was mainly due to
temperatures in 2015 being below those in the UK’s record warm year of 2014. Temperatures in 2015
were above average but 0.6 degrees Celsius cooler than those in 2014 resulting in increased demand
for heating compared to a year earlier. There has been a general trend since 2005 for underlying
demand to fall. Primary energy consumption (primary supply less non-energy use) was up by 0.4 per
cent in 2015. On a temperature corrected basis, primary energy consumption was estimated to
have fallen by 0.8 per cent. A table showing temperature corrected demand is shown in Table 1.1.4
in the internet annex on long term trends, while Chart 1.3 shown below, shows the continued fall in
primary energy consumption. Chart 1.4 shows the composition of primary demand in 2015.
Chart 1.3: Primary energy consumption
250
Million tonnes of oil equivalent
240
230
220
210
200
190
Temperature adjusted
Unadjusted
180
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
1.10 The transformation section of the energy balance shows, for each fuel, the net inputs for
transformation uses. For example, Table 1.1 shows that 2,812 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent of
coal feeds into the production of 2,636 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent of coke, representing a loss
of 176 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent in the manufacture of coke in 2015. In 2015, energy losses
during the production of electricity and other secondary fuels amounted to 41.2 million tonnes of oil
equivalent, (20 per cent of primary supply) shown in the transformation row in Table 1.1.
1.11 The transfers row in Tables 1.1 to 1.3 should ideally sum to zero with transfers from primary oils
to petroleum products amounting to a net figure of zero. Similarly the manufactured gases and natural
gas transfers should sum to zero. However differences in calorific values between the transferred
fuels can result in non-zero values.
1.12 In 2015, gas accounted for 30 per cent of UK generation a similar proportion to that in 2014.
Coal’s share declined further accounting for a 22 per cent share; this is down sharply from a share of
just under 40 per cent in 2012 and a share of 30 per cent in 2014. This decline is due to the closure of
several power stations and the conversion of another to using biomass. The decline of 7.3
percentage points (ppts) from coal was offset by increases from wind and solar (up 3.5 ppts), biomass
(up 2.0 ppts) and nuclear (up 1.9 ppts). Nuclear increased due to a reduced number of outages whilst
renewable sources (biomass, wind & solar) were up on increased capacity. More details on electricity
are available in Chapter 5, with increased information on renewable generation available in Chapter 6.
Data in the energy balance tables show fuel inputs and overall generation but do not directly show the
generation from each specific fuel, this detail is available in Table 5.5 in Chapter 5.
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