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As of 2023, the United Kingdom was home to 1,576 hydropower plants. This represents a significant growth in the sector, as the number of hydro facilities in the country increased more than five-fold between 2003 and 2023.

Global relevance of hydropower

Globally, hydropower is one of the most commonly used renewable energy sources. In 2022, approximately 4.47 petawatt hours of energy was produced from hydroelectric power plants worldwide. China was the global leader in hydropower capacity, with 421.5 gigawatts installed as of 2023. In contrast, Brazil had 109.9 gigawatts, and the United States had about 102.12 gigawatts. China continues to expand its hydropower capacity, adding 0.53 gigawatts in 2023 alone.

Hydropower in the UK

Hydropower has been a source of electricity generation in the UK since the late 19th century. However, despite the increase in the number of hydropower plants, there have not been significant increases in the country’s installed hydropower capacity over the last decade. As of 2023, the installed capacity stood at 1,891 megawatts, which was only a slight increase of five megawatts from 2020. Hydropower consumption in the UK amounted to roughly 50 petajoules in 2022, a decrease from about 60 petajoules in 2020. Since the beginning of the century, the UK's hydropower consumption has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 30 and 60 petajoules.