It’s over. The coal power plant will be closed

At the beginning of October, a new era is dawning in Great Britain. There will no longer be any coal-fired power plants operating in the country after the closure of the last bastion, i.e. Ratcliffe-on-Soar located in the central part of the country.

The end of coal in the UK? Not really

Although Great Britain is ending coal energy production, coal mining has not yet been completely ended. Several mines are still operational and coal is exported. In 2023, production dropped to below one million tons, and the court rejected the application to open a new mine.

Great Britain’s energy transition

The birthplace of the industrial revolution, the country has for years relied on fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas. However, over the last 15 years, the pace of moving away from coal has accelerated significantly. In 2015, it was planned to completely phase out coal by 2025. The share of coal in the energy mix has fallen dramatically. From 40 percent in 2012 to only 2 percent. in 2019. Since then, Great Britain has been focusing on renewable energy sources. In 2023, as much as 38 percent electricity came from wind, water and solar, while gas accounted for 27%. production.

Closed power plant. What’s next here?

After the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant, a technology park related to the development of clean technologies is to be built in its place, as a symbol of the future of the British energy industry.

The power plant in Nottinghamshire, which was being shut down, had been operating since 1968. The first coal-fired power plant in Great Britain, and also in the world, was opened in 1882. It was the Edison Electric Light Station in London, also known as the Holborn Viaduct power plant. So we are dealing with the end of an era that has been over 140 years old.