Great Britain: Last Coal-Fired Power Station Shuts Down

Ratcliffe-on-Sea power station in the Midlands was the last coal-fired power station in Britain. There is no more smoke coming from the eight huge towers as of September 29, as the giant power plant has effectively closed for good after more than 50 years of operation: it burned coal and provided light and heating to some 2 million families.

Thus, Britain, the heart of the Industrial Revolution and the coal that powered it, became the first G7 country to say “enough” to this fossil source for power generation; the first power station went into operation 142 years ago, in 1882 in London. Holborn Viaduct was the first power plant of its kind in the world. A century ago, the country was 90% dependent on coal; in 2010, that share had fallen to 39%. Now Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to achieve zero emissions by 2050 and to that end has pledged to invest £8 billion in a clean energy fund.

The plant is owned by German company Uniper, which said the first phase of dismantling the structure will take two years, with work due to begin as early as October 2024. And Uniper, according to Italian newspaper Repubblica, wants to replace the plant with a “zero-emissions energy research and technology center.” A significant portion of the 170 employees – plus 120 contractors – will remain for the dismantling process over the next two years and then final demolition by the end of the decade.”