Image of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire
It has been 142 years since the United Kingdom became the birthplace of coal power. However, as of September 20, 2024, the country has officially turned its back on decades of history, establishing itself as the first major economy to do so with the closure of its last coal power plant in Nottinghamshire.
“It’s a really remarkable day,” says Lord Deben on September 30th, who is also the longest serving environment secretary in the UK, “…because Britain, after all, built her whole strength on coal, that is the industrial revolution.”
In 1882, the Holborn Viaduct power station that opened in central London was the world’s first public electric power station. Powered by coal, it generated public electricity to light nearby streets and buildings, marking a major leap in urban energy use. The creation of this station pioneered urban electrification, something that remains significant in the history of electricity as it powered the industrial revolution, both literally and figuratively.
By the 1950s, 96% of power came from coal fire plants. In recent times, consumers and countries alike have switched preferences completely and turned to other more environmentally friendly alternatives, reducing the use of coal from 96% to only 36% by 2012. But how has the U.K. managed to effect this radical transformation?
Switch from Coal
“This is the first time in 142 years that there’s no coal in the U.K. electricity system,” says Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper, the German company that runs the plant. He continues: “It’s a big, big moment in industrial history. That history can continue with zero carbon,”, further highlighting how this is a major milestone in the direction of combating climate change.
In eliminating all coal emissions, the U.K. is succeeding in its plans to cut carbon emissions entirely by 2050 and, in tandem, accelerate the expansion of renewable energy sources.
Historically, the discovery of natural gas in the North Sea helped drive the demand down for coal for its cheaper price and being a comparatively cleaner-burning fuel. In 2023, almost a third of U.K. electricity directly came from natural gas. The U.K. has also invested in offshore wind, a renewable energy source which produced 17% of the country’s electricity last year. However, the U.K. is now expanding capacity to increase wind energy.
Finally, the U.K. has further plans to increase reliance on solar and tidal power. Offshore wind capacity, in particular, is set to increase significantly. Additionally, it is investing in hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative; hydrogen has potential to be used for heating, heavy industry, and transport, replacing natural gas in homes and industrial processes. As another alternative source of energy, the U.K. currently operates five nuclear power plants with plans to quadruple capacity by 2050.
The Ratcliffe Plant
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, located in Nottinghamshire, began construction in 1963 and became fully operational by 1968. It was built and operated originally by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), and was designed as a large coal-fired power station to meet the growing demand for electricity during the post-war industrial boom in the UK. The plant was at its time, one of the largest and most efficient coal power plants of its time.
In the early 1990s, the plant became part of PowerGen, one of the new private companies formed from the breakup of CEGB. In 2002, PowerGen was acquired by E.ON, a German energy company, which became the new owner and operator of the Ratcliffe plant. E.ON operated the plant through its UK subsidiary, E.ON UK, for several years. In 2019, the ownership of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station was transferred to Uniper, a spin-off from E.ON.
Ultimately, the closure of the Ratcliffe Station marks the end of an era for the U.K.. This moment marks the beginning of historic precedence of major economies in eliminating coal from its electricity system, as more and more countries follow the road to decarbonization, embracing renewable energy and setting ambitious targets to combat climate change for a more sustainable future.
From this, one can wonder: which major economy will follow suit?
