The Day Britain Was Kept Alive by Gas

At 11:15am today, the truth about Britain’s energy system was laid bare in cold, hard numbers.
National Grid data showed UK electricity demand running at around 42.5GW. Of that, 26.6GW — nearly two thirds — was being supplied by gas. Wind, solar and hydro combined were contributing less than 9%.

Take a moment to let that sink in.

This is not gas acting as “backup”.
This is gas running the country.

Without it, Britain would not be debating energy prices. It would be debating power cuts.

The Renewable Illusion
At the very moment ministers talk about “Clean Power by 2030”, the real system looks like this:
Solar: ~1%
Wind: ~5%
Hydro: ~2%
Gas: ~63%
This was not a freak event. This is normal winter reality. Low sun, weak wind, high demand — and suddenly the entire fantasy of a renewable-led system collapses into a single uncomfortable fact:
When renewables don’t show up, gas is the system.
Not the reserve.
Not the transition fuel.
The backbone.

The Price Lie
The same snapshot showed wholesale power at £212/MWh.
Ministers and campaigners will tell you this is because gas is “expensive”.
That is only half true.
Around 50% of the cost of gas-fired power in the UK is not fuel. It is carbon taxation.
Carbon price support.
UK ETS.
Climate levies.
Policy costs.
We have deliberately taxed the foundation of our energy system into artificial scarcity and high prices — and then act surprised when bills explode.
This is not a market failure.
This is a policy failure.

The Inescapable Reality
If gas were removed from the system today:
Britain would lose over half its electricity instantly
Imports could not fill the gap
Batteries would last minutes or hours, not days
The grid would fail
Not in theory.
Not in modelling.
In reality.
A megawatt that cannot be delivered is not energy security. It is an accounting fiction.

The Political Deception
Ministers can truthfully say they have “approved enough renewable capacity”.
What they don’t say is:
Much of it cannot connect
Much of it cannot run when needed
And none of it can replace gas in winter
So we end up with the worst of all worlds:
A grid that still depends on gas
Gas that is being deliberately strangled by policy
And consumers paying the price for this ideological nonsense

The Conclusion Nobody in Government Wants to Admit
Britain does not have a gas “problem”.
Britain has a reality problem.
Until policymakers admit that:
Firm, dispatchable power is essential
Gas remains critical
And taxing it out of existence before replacements exist is suicidal
…this crisis will only get worse.
If gas disappeared tomorrow, Britain would go dark within hours. That is the truth behind “Clean Power by 2030”.