UK’s last coal-fired power plant takes final delivery of fossils
The UK's last coal-fired power station is entering its final days and has received its last load of coal ahead of its planned closure on 30 September.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, operated by German energy company Uniper, began operations in 1967 and claims to produce enough electricity to make more than one billion cups of tea a day – a truly British analogy.
“The last coal delivery will be a significant moment and one that heralds the end of the story for the power station,”
- Mike Lockett,Chair, Uniper UK
But it's not the end for the site, with Uniper hoping to turn it into a zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the UK's East Midlands region.
Uniper is looking at various options for the Ratcliffe site, including green hydrogen production and green manufacturing.
The company aims to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040.
In May, just 0.4% of the UK’s power supply came from coal, with wind and solar providing 27% and nuclear 17%.Fossil gas and imports accounted for most of the rest.
The entire British Isles however will have to wait until the end of the decade to reach the same milestone. The 915MW Moneypoint power station in the Republic of Ireland will be kept open until 2029.