UK shutters final coal-fired power station

The UK was the first country in the world to host a coal-fired power plant, with London’s Holborn Viaduct power station opening in 1882. Closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire now marks the end of Britain’s coal era, as the country pivots to renewables and the Labour government targets a decarbonised grid by 2030. 

As recently as 2012, nearly 40 per cent of the UK’s electricity came from coal generation, according to climate think tank E3G. The intervening years have seen around a dozen coal-fired plants shut down across the country, with others such as Drax switching to alternative power sources such as biomass – though not without controversy.

Over that same period, the UK’s installed wind capacity has increased by 315 per cent, with solar generation also expanding rapidly and electricity demand falling. The overall effect has been a significant reduction in the carbon intensity of Britain’s grid - UK power sector emissions have declined by 74 per cent since 2012.