UNITED KINGDOM

1. ENERGY, ECONOMIC AND ELECTRICITY INFORMATION

1.1 General Overview

United Kingdom (UK) is an abbreviated form of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and lies in north-western Europe, occupying the major portion of the British Isles. The country's only land boundary is with the Republic of Ireland. The UK is separated from the coast of western Europe by the English Channel to the south and by the North Sea to the east. The northern and western shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean.

As a result of the relative warmth of the nearby seas, UK has a moderate climate, rarely marked by extremes of heat or cold. The mean annual temperature ranges between 11.1°C in the south and 8.9°C in the north-east. Seasonal temperatures vary between a mean of about 16.1°C during July, the hottest month of the year, and 4.4°C during January, the coldest month. Fogs, mists, and overcast skies are frequent, particularly in the Pennine and inland regions. Precipitation, heaviest during October, averages about 760 mm annually in most of the UK.

During the Industrial Revolution the country became rapidly urbanized, and today more than 70% of the total population of 58.8 millions (1996) is concentrated in cities occupying 10% of the total land area. It has a mean population density of 243.2 persons per square km with an annual growth of 0.3% (1997). The population is highly urbanized, and the United Kingdom is the third most densely populated nation in Europe (after Netherlands and Belgium). The most densely populated part of the United Kingdom is England, with 376 persons per square km; Scotland has a density of 66 per square km; Wales, 141 per square km; and Northern Ireland, 123 per square km. Population in 1998 was 59.1 millions (Table 1) and is expected to grow to 60.3 millions in 2006.

TABLE 1. POPULATION INFORMATION

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database.

1.1.1. Economic Indicators

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from US$ 1,240,569 million in 1997 to US$ 1,286,166 million in 1998 (Table 2).

1.1.2. Energy Situation

Extensive coal deposits occur around the eastern and western edges of the Pennines, in South Wales, in the Midlands (Birmingham area), and in the Scottish Central Lowland. Easily accessible coal seams are, however, largely exhausted. Fortunately for the energy-hungry British economy, large deposits of petroleum and natural gas under the North Sea came into commercial production in 1975 and at present the United Kingdom is self-sufficient in petroleum (Table 3).

TABLE 2. GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database.

TABLE 3. ESTIMATED ENERGY RESERVES

Source: IAEA Energy and Economic Database.

TABLE 4. ENERGY STATISTICS(*)