The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant in England, the UK's last coal-fired facility, shut down this week, marking a historic moment as Britain becomes the world's first major economy to phase out coal power. This milestone signifies a shift away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy sources.
When the coal-fired turbines at this sprawling power plant north of London went silent this week, the skies above its eight giant steam stacks finally cleared — and Britain became the world’s first major economy to quit coal power. It’s a milestone for the country that was first to harness the dirty fuel, in the 19th century. Coal powered the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the British Empire.
At the height of its reliance on coal, in the 1950s,That fell to zero Monday evening, when the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant, in the English Midlands, shut off its turbines after 57 years. It was the country’s last coal-fired plant.“This is the first time in 142 years that there’s no coal in the U.K. electricity system,” says Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper, the German company that runs the plant. “It’s a big, big moment in industrial history. That history can continue with zero carbon.” It’s also a milestone in the effort to tackle climate change. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide, and is a major driver of global warming. A handful ofhave already phased out coal power, but Britain is first among the Group of Seven advanced economies to do so. The entire G7 hasThe U.K. has turned to cheaper and cleaner power sources, including natural gas but also a major expansion of offshore wind and solar farms. Meanwhile, regulations targeting air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have made burning coal increasingly uneconomical.Decommissioning will take two years; most of the plant’s 170 employees are being reallocated. There were a few tears, Lewis said. The longest-serving employee had worked at the plant for nearly 50 years.“We need to get off coal. We need to address climate change targets,” Lewis told NPR. “But at the same time, it’s the end of an er
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