The United Kingdom has closed its last coal-fired power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, in Nottinghamshire, signifying a landmark moment in the country's energy transition. The closure of the plant highlights the UK's rapid move away from coal, a fuel once central to its industrial growth. The nation's coal exit follows a trend of dramatically reduced coal use in its energy mix over the past decade.
“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 think tank Ember. MacDonald emphasized how far the UK has come, with coal accounting for 39% of the country's electricity in 2012, but falling below 2% since 2019, according to Ember's data.
The UK's transition from coal has been driven by several key factors outlined in Ember's report, “The UK's journey to a coal power phase-out.” These factors include the government's advance announcement of a 2025 coal phase-out, implementing a price on carbon, and investing in renewable energy sources like offshore wind. “The UK provided both the carrots and the sticks,” added MacDonald. “It's important to signal that polluting sources have an end date, but also to provide an enabling environment to build the new clean energy system.”
The move to cleaner energy has resulted in significant benefits, including reducing emissions and lowering costs. Since 2012, the UK's coal phase-out has avoided 880 million tonnes of emissions, equivalent to more than double the country's total emissions in 2023. Furthermore, Ember estimates that replacing coal with renewable sources like wind and solar saved the UK approximately £2.9 billion in costs.
With the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, over a third of OECD countries have now become coal-free, with three-quarters expected to phase out coal by 2030, aligning with global climate targets.
