UK's last remaining coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar closes today for final time
The UK's final remaining coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar is due to be permanently switched off today (Monday, September 30). It marks the end of coal-powered electricity in the UK after 142 years.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has been generating electricity since 1968 via its four coal-fired boilers, eight vast cooling towers and 199-metre tall chimney, which occupies a prominent spot in the East Midlands skyline. It is able to power about two million homes and has been the last station of its kind in the UK since September 2023, when Northern Ireland’s Kilroot power station stopped producing electricity from coal.
As the power station closes, many of the 170 people employed by the plant’s owner, Uniper, will stay on to help with the two-year decommissioning process.
Ratcliffe’s closure puts a full stop on the country’s use of coal for electricity, which began with the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in 1882, the first of its type in the world. Coal went on to play a major role in the national energy supply throughout the 20th century and accounted for about 80% of UK power in 1990, falling to 39% in 2012.
Since then, 15 coal power plants closed or switched fuels and last year the fossil fuel made up just 1% of the UK’s supply, according to data from National Grid’s electricity system operator. Meanwhile, renewables, mainly wind and solar power, now make up more than half of the mix, according to Government statistics. Gas has also played a part in the switch, rising from 28% of the power mix in 2012 to 34% last year.
Dhara Vyas, deputy chief executive of Energy UK, said: “Ten years ago, coal was the leading source of this country’s power – generating a third of our electricity.
“So, to get to this point just a decade later, with coal’s contribution replaced by clean and low carbon sources, is an incredible achievement.
“As we aim for further ambitious targets in the energy transition, it’s worth remembering that few back then thought such a change at such a pace was possible.”
While the likes of Sweden and Belgium were among the first in Europe to phase out coal entirely, the UK will be the first country in the G7 bloc of major world economies to reach the milestone. France, by comparison, has given itself until 2027 to complete the phase-out, Canada will follow suit until 2030. Germany, on current plans, will not do it until 2038.
But next comes the far larger task of significantly reducing the use of gas and further ramping up renewables, as the newly-elected Labour Government seeks to hit net zero emissions from electricity generation by 2030.
Its first steps were to set up a new state-owned energy investment company, GB Energy, and to lift a de facto ban on new onshore wind projects in the planning system in England.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said recently that switching to clean power is not just about fighting climate change, but energy security, after rocketing gas prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused consumer bills to spiral in 2022 and 2023.
The planned closure of the power station is set against a backdrop of soaring public support for renewable energy. A new poll has revealed that 77% of Brits want to see an expansion in solar panels, 69% in solar farms, 70% in offshore wind and 65% in onshore wind. And 66% want to see investment in retraining and supporting people working in the coal, oil and gas sectors.
Climate Outreach and More in Common polled 2,080 people, in a nationally representative sample across England, Scotland and Wales, to find out how people feel at this historic moment. Nearly two thirds (65%) said they supported shifting energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Only 8% oppose this shift.
The poll also probed views about the closure itself, with more than twice as many people saying they felt it was a good thing (45%) than those who said it was a bad thing (19%).
The findings echo detailed nationwide research before the general election, and findings from additional focus groups soon afterwards. Residents are broadly supportive of clean energy. They say they love seeing wind turbines, but have questions about the costs of household energy measures like solar panels – despite support for them more generally.
Rachael Orr, chief executive of Climate Outreach added: "There’s a future of clean energy ahead for our country - and it’s a future that Brits are increasingly keen to see. The vast majority of us are now big fans of renewable energy - and there’s an opportunity to power a cleaner and more energy-secure future.
"As we move away from fossil fuels, people want to see investment in supporting and retraining workers.
"The Government is right to be ambitious about clean power and net zero - and the public is largely behind them. To deliver this next chapter, they must support workers, communities and the country as a whole to be a part of the coming change."