Chris x. The Germans call periods when there is no wind and solar dunkelflaute, resulting in little power generated for the grid. This happens in Winter, when temperatures are cold and demand is high. What happens when Europe has no spare capacity to send to the UK using the interconnectors?
- The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station marks the end of coal-fired electricity generation in the UK.
- This shift is part of the UK’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.
- The UK is the first G7 country to phase out coal entirely, demonstrating a significant step towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
The UK’s last remaining coal-fired power station is to shut at the end of September, drawing to a close Britain’s 142-year reliance on the fossil fuel to produce electricity.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has been generating electricity since 1968 via its four coal-fired boilers, eight vast cooling towers and 199-metre tall chimney, which occupies a prominent spot in the East Midlands skyline.
It is able to power about two million homes and has been the last station of its kind in the UK since September 2023, when Northern Ireland’s Kilroot power station stopped producing electricity from coal.
On September 30, Ratcliffe will close for the final time. Many of the 170 people employed by the plant’s owner, Uniper, will stay on to help with the two-year decommissioning process.
Ratcliffe’s closure puts a full stop on the country’s use of coal for electricity, which began with the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in 1882, the first of its type in the world.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station which is to shut at the end of September, drawing to a close Britain’s 142-year reliance on the fossil fuel to produce electricity. The power station has been generating electricity since 1968 via its four coal-fired boilers, eight vast cooling towers and 199-metre tall chimney, which occupies a prominent spot in the East Midlands skyline. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire
Coal went on to play a major role in the national energy supply throughout the 20th century and accounted for about 80 per cent of UK power in 1990, falling to 39 per cent in 2012.
Since then, 15 coal power plants closed or switched fuels and last year the fossil fuel made up just one per cent of the UK’s supply, according to data from National Grid’s Electricity System Operator.
Meanwhile, renewables, mainly wind and solar power, now make up more than half of the mix, according to Government statistics. Gas has also played a part in the switch, rising from 28 per cent of the power mix in 2012 to 34 per cent last year.
Dhara Vyas, deputy chief executive of Energy UK, said: “Ten years ago, coal was the leading source of this country’s power – generating a third of our electricity.
“So, to get to this point just a decade later, with coal’s contribution replaced by clean and low carbon sources, is an incredible achievement.
“As we aim for further ambitious targets in the energy transition, it’s worth remembering that few back then thought such a change at such a pace was possible.”
While the likes of Sweden and Belgium were among the first in Europe to phase out coal entirely, the UK will be the first country in the G7 bloc of major world economies to reach the milestone.
