UK, home to world's first coal power plant, to close its last unit today

The UK will close its last coal power plant on Monday, marking a significant milestone in energy use amid global calls for adopting green energy to thwart the irreversible threat of climate change

The United Kingdom will close down its last coal power plant on Monday, making it the first G7 nation to achieve it. This will mark the end of an era in the UK’s 140-year relationship with coal power, which began with the world’s first coal plant opening in London in 1882.

The coal power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar located in Nottinghamshire, which powered the country for the last 57 years, will generate electricity for the last time on Monday. The Guardian reported that Ratcliffe’s 170 remaining staff will gather to witness a live stream from the control room, marking the final shutdown of the plant’s units.

The move comes amid intensified calls for a global coal-free energy system by 2040. Notably, the UK was the first country to set an end date for coal power from 2025. While coal power made up 80 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs in the early 1980s, it was down to 40 per cent in 2012. The country had been implementing measures like costly carbon taxes and stringent green regulations on coal plants to hasten the process, Guardian reported.

According to the resolution passed by the United Nations, to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement, global emissions must be reduced by 45 per cent by 2030. Additionally, the world must reach net zero by 2050. Achieving net zero entails reducing carbon emissions to a level that the natural environment can absorb, ensuring that no excess carbon remains in the atmosphere.

India’s power demand status

Under the present levels, China, the United States, India and the European Union contribute 88 per cent to global emissions, the UN says. However, developing countries including India have advocated for a fairer net zero target, seeking that developed countries undertake early goals while others be given more time. 

Accordingly, India’s ‘net zero emissions’ goal is set for the year 2070. In May 2024, India logged its highest-ever power demand of 250 gigawatts (GW). In view of the rising demand, the country plans to increase its power capacity to about 900 GW by 2030, up from current 427 GW. The Centre has also set a goal for 500 gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. 

India’s coal-fired power generation was recorded at 75 per cent in 2023-24. Compared to the UK, India installed its first major thermal power plant, the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad, only in 1920.

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) ‘Net Zero by 2050’ report recommends that developing countries should aim to achieve coal-free power use by 2040. The same for developed countries is recommended for 2030.

(With PTI inputs)