Britain’s last coal-fired power station is closing its doors after 142 years

At midnight, it’s over at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in England, Britain’s last coal-fired power station.

After more than half a century, the UK will now become the first G7 country to become completely independent of polluting coal – although some other European countries, including Sweden and Belgium, did it first.

The 170 remaining employees at Ratcliffe-on-Soar will nevertheless remain to contribute to the two-year decommissioning process at the coal-fired power station, according to owner Uniper.

Celebrates closure

The UK government is hailing the closure of the power plant as a milestone in its drive to generate all of Britain’s energy from renewable sources by 2030.

British Energy Minister Michael Shanks says the closure marks the end of an era and that coal workers can rightly be proud of the work they have been doing for over 140 years.

– We as a nation owe several generations of Britons a huge thank you, says Shanks.

– The era of coal may be over, but a new era of good jobs in the energy sector has just begun.

Historical industry

The world’s first coal-fired power station, Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London in 1882. It became the catalyst for the industrial revolution.

In 1990, about 80 percent of Britain’s electricity was produced from coal. In 2012, this figure had fallen to 39 percent, and in 2023 only 1 percent of Britain’s electricity came from coal-fired power plants, according to figures from the British electricity and gas company National Grid.

– An incredible achievement

More than half of the UK’s electricity today comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy, while the rest comes from natural gas and nuclear power.

– Ten years ago, coal was the leading source of electricity in this country, and it generated a third of our electricity, says Dhara Vyas, deputy managing director of the trade body Energy UK.

– To get here after only a decade, where coal has been replaced by clean energy sources with a low carbon footprint, is an incredible achievement, she adds.

– As we set our sights on new ambitious goals in the energy transition, it is worth remembering that at the time, few thought such a change at such a pace would be possible.