Britain shuts its last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, marking a significant transition to renewable energy, aiming for 100% by 2030.
On Monday, Britain will officially shut down its last coal-fired power plant, marking the end of a time that’s lasted 142 years and has been powering the country since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, which is in the middle of England, will wrap up its last shift at midnight, ending over half a century of using coal.
The owner, Uniper, has said that about 170 of the workers will stay around for a long two-year cleanup.
The U.K. government is celebrating this as a big step towards its goal of using only renewable energy by 2030.
With this move, Britain is the first of the G7 big economies to officially stop using coal, even though countries like Sweden and Belgium did it before.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said, “This is the end of an era. Coal workers should be proud of their work for over 140 years. We’re really grateful to all the coal workers.”
Shanks also mentioned, “Even though we’re saying goodbye to coal, it’s also opening up new opportunities for green jobs in our country.”
The last coal-fired power station in the United Kingdom officially closes down today, book-ending the nearly 150-year history of British coal power. https://t.co/v80srHQ7hN
— ABC News (@abcnews) September 30, 2024
The first coal-fired power plant in the world, Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London in 1882, setting the stage for more developments.
Since it started in 1968, Ratcliffe-on-Soar has become a famous landmark, with its eight big cooling towers and a 199-meter (650-foot) tall chimney that you can see from the M1 highway or trains.
Back in 1990, coal was used to make up about 80% of the power in Britain. By 2012, that number dropped to 39%, and now, according to National Grid data, coal only makes up 1% of the country’s power.
Right now, renewable energy like wind and solar are giving more than half of the U.K.’s power, with the rest coming from natural gas and nuclear.
“Just ten years ago, coal was the main way we got our electricity, making up a third of what we used,” said Dhara Vyas, the deputy chief executive of the trade group Energy U.K.
“So, getting to this point, where clean and low-carbon energy sources have taken over coal’s job in such a short time, is pretty amazing.
As we look to do even more to change our energy sources, we should think about how people doubted if we could make these changes so quickly just ten years ago.”