The UK is set to reach a historic milestone in its climate goals by ending its 142-year reliance on coal power. The country’s last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, ceased operations on 30 September. This marks a significant step in reducing the UK’s contribution to climate change, as coal has long been considered the dirtiest fossil fuel due to its high greenhouse gas emissions.
Coal’s role in the UK’s energy history is substantial. The UK was the birthplace of coal-powered electricity, with the first coal-fired power station in the world, Holborn Viaduct, built in 1882 by inventor Thomas Edison. This development illuminated the streets of London and paved the way for coal to dominate the country’s energy mix for decades. By the mid-20th century, coal powered nearly all homes and businesses across the UK.
The shift to renewable energy
However, the shift away from coal began in the 1990s, when natural gas started to displace it as a key energy source. Despite this, coal remained essential to the UK’s electricity supply for years. As recently as 2012, coal still accounted for 39% of the country’s power generation. However, increasing awareness of the science surrounding climate change led to the realisation that greenhouse gas emissions needed to be curbed urgently, and coal—being the most polluting fossil fuel—became a primary target.
In 2008, the UK introduced its first legally binding climate targets to reduce carbon emissions and promote cleaner energy sources. The commitment to phase out coal was solidified in 2015 when then-energy secretary, Amber Rudd, announced that the UK would end coal use within a decade. At that time, renewable energy comprised just 7% of the UK’s power generation. Yet, in just over a decade, the landscape has transformed dramatically. By the first half of 2024, renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, accounted for more than 50% of the UK’s electricity, a new record.
The rapid expansion of renewable energy has enabled the UK to switch off coal plants for short periods, with the first coal-free days occurring in 2017. This success led to the coal phase-out date being brought forward by a year. With Ratcliffe-on-Soar closing its doors, the UK has become the first major economy to completely eliminate coal power from its energy mix.
Despite coal’s reputation as a highly polluting energy source, its advantage has always been its reliability, providing electricity at all times, unlike renewable sources such as wind and solar, which depend on weather conditions. While the closure of coal plants marks a significant victory for the UK’s climate ambitions, it also underscores the importance of continuing to develop technologies that can store and distribute renewable energy more effectively, ensuring a steady and reliable power supply.
This final chapter in the UK’s coal story is a landmark achievement, symbolising the nation’s progress toward a greener, more sustainable future.
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