End of an era: Britain’s last coal-fired power station has shut down

A 142-year history of coal-fired power generation in the UK is coming to an end, with the turbines of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire coming to a standstill today. On Monday, it will produce electricity for the last time after 57 years. It will end its operation in line with the government’s policy to phase out coal power, which Britain set out to do almost a decade ago.

The plant’s closure marks the end of Britain’s 142-year history of coal use, which began when the world’s first coal-fired power station, Holborn Viaduct, began generating electricity in 1882.

The closure of the plant is seen by green campaigners as a significant achievement by the government in reducing carbon emissions in Britain. Michael Shanks, the Energy Secretary, told The Guardian: “Today’s closure at Ratcliffe marks the end of an era, and coal workers can be rightly proud of the work that has powered our country for over 140 years. As a country, we are grateful to the generations.” Great Britain was the first country to set a deadline for phasing out coal-fired power generation by 2025 after stricter environmental regulations were introduced to reduce the operating hours of coal-fired power plants.

Gradual departure

Ratcliffe’s 170 remaining employees are invited to gather in the canteen to watch a live feed from the plant’s control room to see the moment its generators are shut down for the last time. The coal-fired plant previously employed 3,000 engineers, but its workforce has fallen in line with a decline in output in recent years. In the early 1980s, coal power accounted for 80% of the country’s electricity, in 2012 it was 40%, and in the last decade its share has been falling due to expensive carbon taxes and the increasing use of cheaper renewables.

“This is the latest chapter in a remarkably rapid transition from the country that started the industrial revolution,” said Phil MacDonald, chief executive of global energy think tank Ember. The Ember report found that generation from coal has halved among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries since its peak in 2007. Last year, coal power accounted for 17% of electricity generated by the OECD, with 27 of the 38 member states committed to being coal-free by the end of the decade.

First in and first out

Ed Matthew, director of climate crisis think tank E3G, said: “Britain was the first country to build a coal-fired power station. It is right that it is the first major economy to give up coal power. That is true global leadership that lights the way for other countries.”

Tony Bosworth, campaigner from Friends of the Earth, added: “The priority now is to get off gas and develop the huge domestic renewable energy potential as quickly as possible, which will bring economic growth. But this important green transition must be fair, protect workers and benefit communities.”

Staff were first told in 2021 that the plant would close at the end of 2022, but Ratcliffe’s owner, German energy company Uniper, later announced it would keep the plant operating during the European gas crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine under a deal with the government. Uniper worked with unions to help employees find new jobs or engage in retraining to work in other areas of the energy industry. More than 100 employees are expected to remain at the plant to carry out decommissioning work over the next two years.

Thanks, that’s enough

Michael Lewis, Chief Executive of Uniper, said: “To me, Ratcliffe has always been more than just a power station – it has been a pillar of Britain’s energy security for decades. Built at a time when coal was the basis of industrial progress, it powered more than 2 million homes and businesses – equivalent to the entire East Midlands area. It has played a key role in supporting economic growth and the livelihoods of thousands of people. “This will be the first time since 1882 that coal will not power the UK. As we close this chapter, we honor the legacy of Ratcliffe and the people who work here, while welcoming a future of cleaner and more flexible energy,” he added.

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