National Grid ESO is the electricity system operator for Great Britain. They have gathered information of the electricity demand in Great Britain from 2009. The is updated twice an hour, which means 48 entries per day. This makes this dataset ideal for time series forecasting.

File information

The dataset consists of three type of files: - Historic_demand_year_20xx.csv: electricity demand in that year - Historic_demand_year_2009_2024.csv: all the yearly datasets merged in one - Historic_demand_year_2009_2024_noNaN.csv: same as above, but NaN values have been removed and the date includes the hour as opposed to only the day

Columns

The columns in the dataset are: * SETTLEMET_DATA: date in format dd/mm/yyyy * SETTLEMENT_PERIOD: half hourly period for the historic outtunr occurred * ND (National Demand). National Demand is the sum of metered generation, but excludes generation required to meet station load, pump storage pumping and interconnector exports. National Demand is calculated as a sum of generation based on National Grid ESO operational generation metering. Measured in MW. * TSD (Transmission System Demand). Transmission System Demand is equal to the ND plus the additional generation required to meet station load, pump storage pumping and interconnector exports. Measured in MW. * ENGLAND_WALES_DEMAND. England and Wales Demand, as ND above but on an England and Wales basis. Measured in MW. * EMBEDDED_WIND_GENERATION. This is an estimate of the GB wind generation from wind farms which do not have Transmission System metering installed. These wind farms are embedded in the distribution network and invisible to National Grid ESO. Their effect is to suppress the electricity demand during periods of high wind. The true output of these generators is not known so an estimate is provided based on National Grid ESO’s best model. Measured in MW. * EMBEDDED_WIND_CAPACITY. This is National Grid ESO’s best view of the installed embedded wind capacity in GB. This is based on publicly available information compiled from a variety of sources and is not the definitive view. It is consistent with the generation estimate provided above. Measured in MW * EMBEDDED_SOLAR_GENERATION. This is an estimate of the GB solar generation from PV panels. These are embedded in the distribution network and invisible to National Grid ESO. Their effect is to suppress the electricity demand during periods of high radiation. The true output of these generators is not known so an estimate is provided based on National Grid ESO’s best model. Measured in MW. * EMBEDDED_SOLAR_CAPACITY. As embedded wind capacity above, but for solar generation. Measured in MW. * NON_BM_STOR (Non-Balancing Mechanism SHort-Term Operating Reserve). For units that are not included in the ND generator definition. This can be in the form of generation or demand reduction. Measured in MW. * PUMP_STORAGE_PUMPING. The demand due to pumping at hydro pump storage units; the -ve signifies pumping load. * IFA_FLOW (IFA Interconnector Flow). The flow on on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * IFA2_FLOW (IFA Interconnector Flow). The flow on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * MOYLE_FLOW (Moyle Interconnector FLow). The flow on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * EAST_WEST_FLOW (East West Innterconnector FLow). The flow on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * NEMO_FLOW (Nemo Interconnector FLow). The flow on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * NSL_FLOW (North Sea Link Interconnector Flow). The flow on the respective interconnector. -ve signifies export power out from GB; +ve signifies import power into GB. Measured in MW. * ELCLINK_FLOW. Blank

The United Kingdom’s demand for electricity has been declining since 2005, standing at 318.65 terawatt-hours in 2024. Factors for this decrease include declining population growth in the country, energy efficiency regulations, energy-efficient lighting, and changing consumer habits. Domestic electricity consumption in the UK Households are the largest electricity end-users in the UK. In fact, domestic consumption is the only sector that registered year-over-year growth over the past few years, reaching 93 terawatt-hours in 2023. Nevertheless, the average domestic electricity consumption varied from region to region. Consumption was highest in the East, South East, and South West of England, each registering an average of more than 3,600 kilowatt-hours per household. Declining electricity generation in the UK Keeping up with the decline in demand, electricity generation in the UK has also been decreasing. In 2023, approximately 293 terawatt-hours were produced, the lowest output in at least three decades. Although electricity generation has been declining, renewable generation has increased significantly. As of 2023, renewables accounted for the largest electricity generation capacity in the UK, and that capacity is forecast to more than double by 2050. By 2025, the use of coal is expected to have been completely phased out.

The UK's direct use of energy from fossil fuels and other sources (nuclear, net imports, renewables, biofuels and waste and reallocated use of energy by industry (SIC 2007 section - 21 categories), 1990 to 2023.

Fossil fuels, such as natural gas and oil are forecasted to be the main primary energy in terms of demand in the United Kingdom. Primary energy demand of natural gas is projected to reach 63 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2040. By comparison, renewables and waste sources primary energy demand is expected to increase and amount to 26 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2040.

The average daily electricity demand in the United Kingdom is the highest in winter and the lowest in summer. Compared to 2019 figures, the annual daily electricity demand of the country is projected to increase by over 60 percent by 2035. While the maximum relative increase will be in the summer months, the peak demand will still be in winter, reaching 1,502 gigawatt-hours per day in this season.

The UK's reallocated energy use and energy intensity - the level of usage per unit of economic output, by industry (SIC 2007 group - around 130 categories), 1990 to 2023.

The UK's energy use by industry (SIC 2007 group - around 130 categories), source (for example, industrial and domestic combustion, aircraft, road transport and so on - around 80 categories) and fuel (for example, anthracite, peat, natural gas and so on - around 20 categories), 1990 to 2023.

The consumption of electricity in the United Kingdom has fluctuated on an annual and seasonal basis throughout the period depicted, and indicated a general downward trend. Demand was consistently higher in the winter months, peaking each year in January or December. In April 2024, electricity consumption in the UK amounted to **** terawatt-hours. Domestic users consume the most electricity Although the industrial sector's electricity demand was higher between 1990 and 2005, domestic consumers have since reclaimed their spot as the largest electricity end users in the UK. East and South East England were the regions with the highest domestic electricity consumption in Great Britain, with more than *** megawatt-hours consumed per household in 2022. Declining electricity demand in the UK Electricity consumption in the UK has seen a mostly continual decrease since the turn of the century. After peaking at ***** terawatt hours in 2005, consumption has fallen below *** terawatt hours in 2020. This is despite the UK's population growing by approximately seven million during this period. Projections on electricity consumption in the UK show that the decreasing trend will last until at least 2025.

The United Kingdom’s electricity use has been declining since peaking at *** terawatt-hours in 2005. In 2024, the UK's electricity increased on the previous year, amounting to *** terawatt-hours. Electricity consumption in the UK typically follows a seasonal trend, peaking in the winter months. How electricity-intensive is the UK? Despite the continual decline in electricity consumption, the UK remains one of the largest electricity consumers in the world. In terms of per capita electricity consumption, however, the UK ranks low in comparison to other European countries such as Norway, Germany, and France. In 2023, it registered an average of ***** kilowatt-hours per person. The race towards a clean power mix In 2010, gas and coal accounted for roughly ** percent of the UK's power mix. Since then, alongside the EU Renewables Directive, the UK agreed and created its own National Renewable Energy Plan, to increase the use of renewable sources and decrease its fossil fuel dependence. In the past decade, the share of energy consumption in the UK attributable to renewable energy increased slightly, although it was still a small percentage out of the total in 2023.

The UK's energy use from renewable and waste sources, by source (for example, hydroelectric power, wind, wave, solar, and so on) and industry (SIC 2007 section - 21 categories), 1990 to 2023.

In the next two decades, natural gas and petroleum products are expected to be the main sources of final energy consumption in the United Kingdom. By 2040, natural gas demand is forecast to reach ** million metric tons of oil equivalent, up from **** in 2023. The final consumption of electricity in the UK is expected to grow by ** percent between 2023 and 2040, whereas the final consumption of energy from renewable sources is forecast to grow until 2030 but then decrease.

Summary:

This dataset from National Grid ESO contains historical electricity demand data for Great Britain from 2009, updated every half-hour (48 entries per day). It is available in three versions: yearly files, a merged file for 2009–2025, and a cleaned version with NaNs removed and hourly timestamps.

Key columns include:

Date & Time: Settlement date and half-hourly settlement period. Demand Metrics: National Demand (ND), Transmission System Demand (TSD), and England & Wales Demand. Renewable Estimates: Embedded wind and solar generation and capacity. Additional Data: Pump storage, various interconnector flows (e.g., IFA, Moyle, NSL), and a holiday indicator.

File Types: - Historic_demand Data for a single year: demanddata_20xx.csv:

Combined yearly data: National Grid Data 2009-2025

Merged data with removed NaN values and hourly timestamps. National Grid Data 2009-2025_noNaN.csv

Column Summary:

• SETTLEMET_DATA: Date (dd/mm/yyyy).
• SETTLEMENT_PERIOD: Half-hour period of measurement.
• ND (National Demand): Total metered generation (MW), excluding extra generation for station load, pumping, and exports.
• TSD (Transmission System Demand): ND plus additional generation required for station load, pumping, and interconnector exports (MW).
• ENGLAND_WALES_DEMAND: Electricity demand for England & Wales (MW).
• EMBEDDED_WIND_GENERATION: Estimated wind generation from embedded (non-metered) wind farms (MW).
• EMBEDDED_WIND_CAPACITY: Estimated installed capacity of embedded wind (MW).
• EMBEDDED_SOLAR_GENERATION: Estimated solar generation from embedded PV panels (MW).
• EMBEDDED_SOLAR_CAPACITY: Estimated installed capacity of embedded solar (MW).
• NON_BM_STOR: Non-Balancing Mechanism Short-Term Operating Reserve (MW) for generation or demand reduction.
• PUMP_STORAGE_PUMPING: Demand due to hydro pump storage; negative values indicate pumping load.
• IFA_FLOW: Flow on the IFA interconnector (MW); negative indicates export, positive indicates import.
• IFA2_FLOW: Flow on the second IFA interconnector (MW).
• MOYLE_FLOW: Flow on the Moyle interconnector (MW); negative for export, positive for import.
• EAST_WEST_FLOW: Flow on the East-West interconnector (MW); negative for export, positive for import.
• NEMO_FLOW: Flow on the Nemo interconnector (MW); negative for export, positive for import.
• NSL_FLOW: Flow on the North Sea Link interconnector (MW); negative for export, positive for import.
• ELCLINK_FLOW: No data provided (blank).

Primary energy supply in the United Kingdom amounted to *****exajoules in 2024, up from *****exajoules in the previous year. Nonetheless, between 2010 and 2024, UK primary energy consumption decreased by roughly ****exajoules, peaking at *** exajoules in 2010.