UK wind farms outperform nuclear power plants over 24 hours

A combination of offline nuclear power plants and strong winds led to the strong performance of wind farms on Tuesday

Westmill Wind Farm near Swindon powers 2,500 homes (AFP/Getty)

On Tuesday more energy was created by UK wind farms than by nuclear power stations, reports the National Grid.

Wind farms made up 14.2 per cent of all power generated, while nuclear power contributed 13.2 per cent, although the energy network operator said this was due to a combination of unusually strong winds and intermittent service from the power plants.

The 24-hour triumph of wind follows a similar landmark on Saturday, when stormy weather allowed wind turbines to generate a record 6,372 megawatts – supplying a fifth of the UK’s energy needs, although at a time when demand was low.

These successes though are at due to the UK’s aging nuclear stations (eight of the fifteen are currently offline for maintenance and refuelling) and unusual weather.

Winds have been so strong that yesterday a viral video showed a waterfall being turned around mid-flow in the Derbyshire Peak District.

The government is continuing to call for a “diverse energy mix” to meet the UK’s needs, but leading Conservative ministers have slated various renewable resources in recent weeks.

Last week the Environment Secretary Liz Truss came under fire for branding solar farms “a blight on the landscape” and scrapping subsidies for future projects.

The Communities Secretary Eric Pickles was accused of playing politics with green energy after it was revealed he blocked nine out of 10 applications for new wind farms in predominantly Tory regions.