UK Turns the Page on Coal Production

On Monday, Britain will close its last coal-fired power plant. What does this mean for the future of the country's energy landscape?

A Historic Farewell to Coal

In a landmark shift, the United Kingdom’s last coal power plant, located in Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire, ceased operations yesterday. This closure marks the official end of over 150 years of coal production in the nation.

An Early Closure

Originally set to shut down in 2022, the Ratcliffe plant extended its operations following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which triggered a gas crisis in Europe.

This extension was necessary despite Britain’s 2015 commitment to close all its coal-fired power stations by 2025.

Ratcliffe Staff in Transition

Reduced to 170 employees from 3000 engineers at its peak, Ratcliffe’s team will witness the plant’s shutdown via a live stream. Over 100 of them will be involved in decommissioning the plant over the next two years.

The remaining staff will be offered reassignments at various plants owned by Uniper, Ratcliffe’s German owner, or will enter training programs to work in other sectors of the industry.

The UK: A Pioneer in Green Energy

Since the world’s first coal power plant opened in London in 1882, coal has dominated the UK’s energy landscape. However, according to think tank Ember, coal’s share of energy production plummeted from 39% in 2012 to just 2% in 2019.

Simultaneously, the production of wind and solar energy surged from 6% to 34%. Despite the remaining challenges, this shift positions the UK as the first G7 country to completely phase out coal energy production.