The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) is the annual energy statistics publication produced by BEIS. It provides a detailed and comprehensive picture on the production and consumption of individual fuels and of energy as a whole.

Key headlines

• Energy production was low, down 14 per cent compared to last year and the lowest level in over 50 years. Extensive maintenance in the North Sea, including the long-delayed upgrade to the Forties Pipeline System, reduced oil and gas output by 17 per cent. Gas output reached a record low, with imports from Norway larger than net production. Nuclear output was also disrupted by maintenance, dropping to the lowest level since 1976. Coal reached another record low.
Energy consumption in 2021 remained low, up 4.6 per cent on 2020 but down 8.9 per cent on 2019. Consumption was low at the start of the year and increased from April onwards as restrictions eased. Energy requirements for industrial use and services (e.g., shops, restaurants, offices) were up and returning to near pre-pandemic levels. Domestic demand remained higher than usual as people continued to spend more time at home.
• Transport demand increased 7.3 per cent compared to last year but remains 23 per cent below 2019 levels. Whilst petrol and diesel consumption ended the year not far short of 2019 averages, aviation fuel fell to a record low, down 8.2 per cent on last year, and down 62 per cent on 2019 despite trending up towards the end of 2021, and into 2022.
• Net imports increased by 41 per cent to help meet demand. Imports increased by 8.2 per cent (though remain below the 10-year average) but a drop in exports (mainly oil and gas) to the lowest level in over forty years increased the UK’s net import dependency to 38.0 per cent.