Electricity output in OECD countries rises 2.1% YOY in Oct: IEA

Total net electricity production in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries rose 2.1% year over year to 857.5 TWh in October, mainly driven by strong generation from solar energy, according to the International Energy Agency.

Electricity production from renewable sources, which accounted for 36.6% of the total generation, rose 7.2% year over year, with solar generation jumping 20.5% in October, the IEA said in its monthly electricity statistics report released Jan. 16.

Hydropower generation in the OECD rose 8.4% year over year to 114.8 TWh, accounting for 13.4% of the total generation. Wind generation fell 0.7% year over year to 102.1 TWh, accounting for 11.9% of the total generation, the IEA said.

Electricity generation from fossil fuels, which accounted for 46.3% of the total generation, fell 0.9% year over year in October, mainly due to a drop in coal-fired generation, the IEA said. Coal-fired generation fell 5.9% year over year to 131.1 TWh in October, accounting for 15.3% of the total generation, the IEA noted.

The largest decline was in the OECD Americas, where electricity generation from coal fell 8.1% year over year, the IEA said.

Meanwhile, total electricity generation from natural gas rose 2.7% year over year to 251.7 TWh, accounting for 29.4% of the total generation.

While generation from natural gas in OECD Europe fell 2.5% year over year, OECD Americas saw an increase of 3.2% and OECD Asia Oceania saw a rise of 7%.

Nuclear power generation, which accounts for 16.8% of the total generation, rose 0.4% year over year in October, the IEA said, adding OECD Asia Oceania and OECD Europe saw year-over-year increases of 9.4% and 2.6%, respectively.

Coal generation zero in the UK

In the UK, total net electricity production stood at 23.4 TWh in October, up 1.2% year over year, the IEA said.

Electricity generation from renewables accounted for 51.3% of the electricity mix, while fossil fuels contributed 36.2% in October, the IEA said.

"Among fossil fuels, gas remained the primary contributor, making up 34.5% of the total electricity mix. Meanwhile coal's share dropped to 0%, reflecting the closure of the last coal-fired power plant in autumn 2024," the IEA said.

OECD has 38 member countries spanning from North America and South America to Europe and Asia-Pacific.