End of an era as Britain’s last coal-fired power station closes | Energy industry

Britain’s only remaining coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire will generate electricity for the last time on Monday after powering the UK for 57 years.

The power plant will reach the end of its life, in line with the government’s world-leading policy to phase out coal power, which was first announced almost a decade ago.

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

The shutdown is being hailed by green campaigners as a major achievement by the government in cutting UK carbon emissions, providing international climate leadership and ensuring a “just transition” for workers in the UK coal industry.

Michael Shanks, the Energy Secretary, said: “Today’s closure of Ratcliffe marks the end of an era and coal workers can be rightly proud of their work that has powered our country for more than 140 years. As a country, we owe generations of gratitude.”

Britain became the first country to set an end date for coal power from 2025, after introducing increasingly strict green regulations to reduce the operating hours of its coal-fired power stations.

Ministers reinforced Britain’s leadership on phasing out coal by calling for an early deadline, shortly before Britain is due to host the UN’s Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow at the end of 2021.

Ratcliffe’s 170 remaining staff will be invited to meet in the canteen on Monday, where a live stream from the power station’s control room will show the moment the generating units are switched off for the final time.

Peter O’Grady, Ratcliffe factory manager, said: “This whole year has been a series of poignant moments. I’m sure there will be a few tears shed as the whole thing stops and as people leave.

The coal-fired power plant once employed 3,000 engineers, but the workforce has declined in recent years in line with electricity production. Coal power made up 80% of Britain’s electricity in the early 1980s, and 40% in 2012, before fading away over the past decade due to expensive carbon taxes and the rise of cheaper renewables.

“This is the final chapter of a remarkably rapid transition from the country that started the industrial revolution,” said Phil MacDonald, director of global energy think tank Ember.

A report from Ember shows that coal energy in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries has halved since it peaked in 2007. According to Ember, coal energy made up 17% of the electricity used by OECD countries last year was raised, but 27 out of 38 Member States have pledged to be coal-free by the end of the decade.

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 transition away from coal energy. This is truly global leadership, lighting the path for other countries to follow.”

Tony Bosworth, campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “The priority now is also to move away from gas, developing Britain’s huge domestic renewable energy potential as quickly as possible and delivering the economic boost that brings. will bring. But this vital green transition must be fair, protecting workers and benefiting 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 said it would keep the plant running during the European gas crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine under an agreement with the government.

Uniper has worked with unions to help many engineers find new jobs at the company’s other power plants or training that could lead to employment in other sectors of the energy industry. It is expected that more than a hundred people will remain at the plant to carry out decommissioning work over the next two years.

Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper, said: “To me, Ratcliffe has always been more than just a power station; it has been a pillar of UK energy security for decades. Built at a time when coal was the backbone of industrial progress, Ratcliffe powered over two million homes and businesses – equivalent to the entire East Midlands region. It played a crucial role in driving economic growth and supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people.

“This will be the first time since 1882 that coal has not powered Britain. As we close this chapter, we honor the legacy of Ratcliffe and the people who work here, while embracing the future of cleaner and flexible energy,” he said.