End Of Coal Power Era In UK

In a historic milestone the UK’s last remaining coal power plant closed on 1st October. Marking the end of an era for the nation that pioneered coal power. After 57 years of operation, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station ceased generating electricity on September 30, 2024.

According to National Grid statistics, coal, once the most vital part of the UK’s energy supply, has been on a sharp decline, from constituting over 95% of the energy mix in the 1900s to just 1% by 2023.

The closure of the station marks a crucial step in the UK’s journey to a decarbonised power system (by 2030 under current government targets) and to net zero by 2050.

All G7 nations have also agreed to end reliance on coal power by 2035 as part of a global commitment to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to combat climate change – and in closing Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Britain is the first G7 nation to achieve this.

A new report from Ember highlights the transformative role that wind and solar energy have played in driving down the UK’s power sector emissions.

The shift to clean power

Coal power was effectively replaced by wind and solar, which quadrupled their power generation since 2012 when coal’s rapid decline began. As coal generation fell from 39% of British power in 2012 to 1% in 2023, falling to 0% in October 2024. The share of wind and solar electricity increased from 6% to 34%. This was driven by wind power, which alone grew 315% (+62 TWh) in the same period. Wind and solar’s growth of 75 TWh since 2012 displaced an estimated 28 million tonnes of coal, and avoided £2.9bn in coal costs.

Power sector emissions plummeted by three quarters (-74%) over that time, as coal’s share of power was largely replaced by wind and solar.

“The era of coal-free power begins,” said Ember analyst Frankie Mayo. “The UK has achieved something massive, shifting its power system from a huge polluter to one where renewables are thriving, in an astonishingly short period of time.”

End of an era

The closure of Ratcliffe power station marks a historic moment, ending a reliance on coal power that began in 1882 with the world’s first coal-fired power station at the Edison Electric Light Station in London. Coal played a major role in national energy supply throughout the 20th century, and although there was a decline in the 1990s, coal still supplied 39% of UK electricity in 2012.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy