Britain Shuts Its Last Coal-Fired Power Plant

Britain's last coal-fired power station will officially close its doors on Monday. The closure of the coal power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire marks the end of the UK's 142-year history of coal power use. Notably, Britain will be the first G7 country to end its reliance on fossil fuel to produce electricity.

The power plant has been producing energy since 1967. Construction of the site started in 1963, with the first unit in place four years later, providing power for 57 years. According to The Guardian, the coal plant once employed 3,000 engineers. However, the workforce has declined in line with its power output over recent years. Coal power made up 80% of Britain's electricity in the early 1980s and 39% in 2012. Currently, more than half of country's electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and solar power.

"This will be the first time since 1882 that coal has not powered Great Britain. As we close this chapter, we honor Ratcliffe’s legacy and the people working here, while embracing the future of cleaner and flexible energy," said Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper, the energy company that owns the plant. Last year, the company had outlined its plans to eventually produce hydrogen at the site instead of coal power.