EcoWhy

The research method

Because there is currently no published data to help us determine exactly where UK imports it’s fuel from to power its many fossil-fuelled and nuclear electricity generators, we’ve had to use the available data to work it out for ourselves.

So, in lieu of a having a tracking mechanism to tell us where a lump of coal or therm of gas gets used, we have determined where our fuel for our electricity generators comes from by looking at the countries we import our fuels from – and spit these proportions against the coal, gas and nuclear components of the UK’s electricity fuel mix. You can check the data we used in this analysis by clicking on the links in our explanation below – there are a few steps in the process.

1. Firstly, UK Fuel Mix Disclosure – the electricity grid mix of where UK consumers get their electricity from – was used to form the basis of our calculations. This gives us a clear, annually-updated snapshot of exactly what proportion of coal, nuclear, gas and renewable generators are providing us with electricity.
2. Fuels that have been imported to not fit one, specific purpose. Natural gas, for example, is used in manufacturing, burned to generate electricity and is distributed around our gas network to heat our homes and cook our food. So we have looked at the countries we import all fuel from – and split these proportionally against the coal, gas and nuclear components of the UK’s electricity fuel mix.

Source: Green Energy, Renewable Energy Company

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