On Monday, the UK closed its last operational coal power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, marking the end of over a century of coal use, which began in 1882 with the country’s first coal-fired power station. The plant, with a 2,000-megawatt capacity, had been in operation since 1968. Over the years, coal power played a central role in the UK’s electricity grid, at times generating over 90% of the nation’s electricity. However, a combination of factors led to coal’s decline, including the growth of natural gas plants and renewable energy, pollution controls, carbon pricing, and the UK government’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
In the mid-20th century, coal power was at its peak, supplying more than 90% of the UK’s electricity by 1956, with coal plants continuing to generate power well into the 1980s. New coal plants were even considered as late as the 2000s, with discussions on continuing coal use paired with carbon capture technology. However, the European Union’s regulations on acid rain increased the costs of running coal plants, and the discovery of oil and gas in the North Sea provided an alternative fuel source, further reducing coal dependence. Additionally, gains in energy efficiency and the outsourcing of heavy industry reduced the UK’s demand for coal.
The decline of coal power also had political implications, especially regarding employment in the coal mining sector. As coal use diminished, so did jobs in coal mining, weakening the political influence of the sector. By 2005, the European Union implemented a carbon trading system that added a cost to emissions, and the UK government set ambitious emissions reduction targets in 2008, which successive Labour and Conservative governments upheld. The introduction of a carbon price floor incentivized the transition to renewable energy sources, and renewables’ share in electricity generation tripled between 2013 and 2023, driven by the expansion of offshore wind.
In 2015, the UK government announced its intention to phase out coal power by 2025, even though the country hadn’t experienced a coal-free day until 2017. By 2019, the UK grid was seeing entire weeks without coal-fired power plants being operational. The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar brings the UK’s coal era to a close, with significant lessons for other nations looking to transition away from coal. Several unique factors facilitated the UK’s rapid move away from coal, such as its aging coal infrastructure and the availability of cheap natural gas, but its success also hinged on government policies that prioritized emissions reductions and renewable energy growth.
While the UK’s experience with coal power may not be entirely replicable elsewhere, the broader global trends of falling costs for renewables, regulations on coal pollution, and carbon pricing provide a clear framework for countries to follow. By imposing the externalized costs of coal on human health and the environment, the UK made coal less economically viable compared to alternatives. Inspired by this success, the new Labour government has moved up its decarbonization target for the power sector to 2030, aiming to build on the momentum of its coal phase-out and continue leading in climate action.
https://www.wired.com/story/uk-no-coal-fired-power-plants-first-time-in-142-years