The UK’s final coal plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, will emit its last pollutants on Monday, marking the end of the country’s 150-year coal production history as part of Britain’s 2015 commitment to close all coal power plants by 2025. Originally set to close in 2022, the plant remained operational due to geopolitical events. The plant, which once employed 3,000 engineers, now has only 170 staff who will witness its shutdown via livestream before embarking on a two-year decommissioning process. Some staff will transition to other power plants owned by Uniper, the plant’s German owner, while others will receive training for different roles in the industry. Coal, which played a significant role in the UK’s energy supply until recently, decreased from 39% in 2012 to only 2% in 2019, with the decline in production reportedly offsetting double the amount of greenhouse gases used in the country in 2023. During this time, wind and solar generation increased from 6% to 34% of the UK’s energy mix. As Britain becomes the first G7 country to eliminate coal power production, there is still progress to be made in transitioning to renewable energy sources.
