The UK’s last coal fired power plant takes final delivery of old fossils

The last coal-fired power station in the UK, the 2GW Ratcliffe-on-Soar facility in the East Midlands, is entering its final days and has received its last load of coal ahead of its planned closure on September 30.

The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is operated by German multinational energy company Uniper began operations in 1967 and claims to produce enough electricity to make more than one billion cups of tea a day, or more then 21 trillion overall – 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,” said Mike Lockett, Uniper UK country chair.

“However, it’s not the end for the site, as we look towards a future where it could become a zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands.”

Uniper is looking at various options for the Ratcliffe site, including green hydrogen production and green manufacturing. Uniper aims to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040.

In May, just 0.4 per cent of the UK’s power supply came from coal, with wind and solar providing 27 per cent and nuclear 17 per cent. Fossil gas and imports accounted for most of the rest. A decade ago, it provided 40 per cent of the power supply, according to Ember.

While the UK is about to see the closure of its final coal-fired power plant, the larger area of the British Isles will have to wait until the end of the decade to reach the same milestone, with the 915MW Moneypoint power station in the Republic of Ireland set to be kept open until 2029, despite original efforts to decommission the plant in 2025.