https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/30/end-of-an-era-as-britains-last-coal-fired-power-plant-shuts-down [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show moreHide expanded menu * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US elections 2024 + World news + Environment + Ukraine + Soccer + Business + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us * Environment * Climate crisis * Wildlife * Energy * Pollution * Green light the towering chimneys of the Ratcliffe plant reflected in a puddle as a man in hi-viz overalls passes by [ ] Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station once employed 3,000 staff, but the workforce has dwindled to just 170 as electricity generation was wound down. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station once employed 3,000 staff, but the workforce has dwindled to just 170 as electricity generation was wound down. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Energy industry End of an era as Britain's last coal-fired power plant shuts down UK's 142-year history of coal-fired electricity ends as turbines at Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire stop for good * A deep history of British coal - from the Romans to the Ratcliffe shutdown Jillian Ambrose Sun 29 Sep 2024 19.01 EDTLast modified on Mon 30 Sep 2024 12.10 EDT Share Britain's only remaining coal power plant 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 come to the end of its life in line with the government's world-leading policy to phase out coal power which was first signalled almost a decade ago. The closure marks the end of Britain's 142-year history of coal power use which began when the world's first coal-fired power station, the Holborn Viaduct power station, began generating electricity in 1882. End times for the UK's final coal-fired power station Read more The shutdown has been hailed by green campaigners as a major achievement for the government in reducing the UK's carbon emissions, providing international climate leadership, and ensuring a "just transition" for staff in Britain's coal industry. Michael Shanks, the minister for energy, said: "Today's closure at Ratcliffe marks the end of an era and coal workers can be rightly proud of their work powering our country for over 140 years. We owe generations a debt of gratitude as a country." The UK became the first country to set an end date for coal power from 2025 after putting in place increasingly stringent green regulations to reduce the running hours of its coal plants. Map of Britain's largest coal-fired power stations showing when they closed or switched to alternative power sources Ministers strengthened the UK's leadership on phasing out coal by calling for the deadline to come forward by a year, shortly before the UK hosted the UN's Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow in late 2021. Ratcliffe's 170 remaining staff will be invited to gather in the canteen on Monday where a live stream from the power plant's control room will show the moment that its generating units are turned off for the last time. Peter O'Grady, Ratcliffe's plant manager, said: "This whole year has been a series of poignant moments. I'm sure there will be a few tears as the whole thing stops and as people leave." The coal plant once employed 3,000 engineers but its workforce has declined in line with its power output over recent years. Coal power made up 80% of the UK's electricity in the early 1980s, and 40% in 2012, before petering out in the last decade due to costly carbon taxes and the rise of cheaper renewables. "This is the final chapter of a remarkably swift transition from the country that started the industrial revolution," said Phil MacDonald, managing director of global energy thinktank Ember. A report by Ember found that coal power has halved among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries since reaching a peak in 2007. Coal power made up 17% of electricity generated by OECD countries last year, according to Ember, but 27 of the 38 member states have pledged to be coal-free by the end of the decade. Ed Matthew, a director at climate crisis thinktank E3G, said: "The UK was the first country to build a coal-fired power station. It is right that it is the first major economy to exit coal power. This is true global leadership, lighting the path for other countries to follow." Tony Bosworth, a campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said: "The priority now is to move away from gas as well, by developing as fast as possible the UK's huge homegrown renewable energy potential and delivering the economic boost that will bring. But this vital green transition must be fair, by protecting workers and benefiting communities." Staff were first told in 2021 that the plant would close in late 2022 but Ratcliffe's owner, the German energy company Uniper, later said it would keep the plant running during the Europe-wide gas crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine under an agreement with the government. . Uniper has worked with unions to help many engineers into new jobs at the company's other power plants or into training which could lead to work in other areas of the energy industry. More than 100 are expected to remain at the plant to carry out decommissioning work over the next two years. Michael Lewis, Uniper's chief executive, said: "For me, Ratcliffe has always been more than just a power station - it has been a pillar of the UK's energy security for decades. Built during a time when coal was the backbone of industrial progress, Ratcliffe powered over 2m homes and businesses - equivalent to the entire East Midlands region. It played a crucial role in boosting economic growth and supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people. "This will be the first time since 1882 that coal has not powered Great Britain. As we close this chapter, we honour Ratcliffe's legacy and the people working here, while embracing the future of cleaner and flexible energy," he said. The map in this article was amended on 30 September 2024 to include the Drax power station. Explore more on these topics * Energy industry * Coal * Greenhouse gas emissions * Energy * Climate crisis * Green economy * Renewable energy * news Share Reuse this content More on this story More on this story * [4933] The deep history of British coal - from the Romans to the Ratcliffe shutdown 4d ago * [4000] High court blocks Cumbria plan for UK's first new deep coalmine in 30 years 13 Sept 2024 * [3543] Investors push Glencore to scrap spin-off of heavily polluting coal division 7 Aug 2024 * [3000] Cumbria coalmine was unlawfully approved, government says 11 Jul 2024 * [3500] Fresh calls to scrap Cumbrian coalmine amid steel industry's green push 7 Nov 2023 * [5185] National Grid stands down coal power plants readied to help France 26 Jan 2023 * [4003] Coal power stations fired up and customers paid to cut energy use in UK cold snap 22 Jan 2023 Most viewed Most viewed * Environment * Climate crisis * Wildlife * Energy * Pollution * Green light * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email * About us * Help * Complaints & corrections * SecureDrop * Work for us * * Privacy policy * Cookie policy * Terms & conditions * Contact us * All topics * All writers * Digital newspaper archive * Tax strategy * Facebook * YouTube * Instagram * LinkedIn * X * Newsletters * Advertise with us * Guardian Labs * Search jobs Back to top (c) 2024 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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