The UK’s last coal-fired power station is entering its final days.
The factory in Ratcliffe-on Soar, Nottinghamshire, is a prominent landmark for rail passengers on the Midlands Main Line and for traffic on the M1 which passes close by.
The plant began generating electricity 57 years ago, in 1967, with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts, enough to supply two million homes.
However, the plant will close on September 30 as part of the UK government’s plans to end coal production.
- Author, Simon Haas
- Role, BBC News, East Midlands
The End for ‘King Coal’
In the past, the East Midlands region was mainly a coal-growing region, with Ratcliffe Power Station at its heart.
But just as the coal mines have closed, the UK’s last coal-fired power station is also set to cease production this autumn.
Coal is a fossil fuel and has been used to generate electricity in Britain since the Industrial Revolution, but is now notorious for its environmental impact.
When coal is burned, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere.
Over time, the buildup of these gases has led to a rise in Earth’s temperature by trapping extra energy in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The European Union ranked Ratcliffe as the continent’s 18th most polluting power plant in 2008.
The UK has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
To achieve this goal, the UK government wants to have 100% ‘clean’ electricity by 2035. They will do this by rapidly expanding wind, solar and nuclear power.
At the beginning of the 20th century, coal was used to generate over 95% of the energy consumed in the UK. By 2023, that had fallen to just 1%.
What happened on the day of the last coal delivery?
In a historic moment, GB Railfreight delivered what is believed to be the last coal shipment to the plant on Friday 28 June.
The supply of 1,650 tonnes is enough coal to supply approximately 500,000 households with electricity for eight hours.
It is the last consignment of more than six million tonnes of coal to be transported to the site from the port of Immingham, Lincolnshire.
To mark the end of the line, operator GB Railfreight named the locomotive ‘Ratcliffe Power Station’.
According to the company, each train can carry a load equivalent to that of 129 trucks.
What will happen to the power plant location?
The power plant’s owner, international energy company Uniper, hopes the site can become a carbon-free technology and energy hub.
The company already has a technology centre in Ratcliffe-on-Soar, where it carries out research and development in energy generation.
The site is subject to a Local Development Order (LDO), granted by Rushcliffe Borough Council in 2023.
The council said the decision to simplify the permitting process could speed up development once the power plant closes.
At the time, Neil Clarke, the council’s Conservative leader, said the LDO could create an estimated 7,000 jobs.
Uniper’s Mike Lockett said: “We are also investigating the possibilities for future hydrogen production at the site.”
How hard is it to close a power plant?
Decommissioning of the Ratcliffe plant will begin on October 1, immediately after electricity production ends, and will take two years.
Uniper says 125 employees will stay on to assist with the closure.
Demolition of the cooling towers and the rest of the 655-hectare site will not take place until after dismantling is complete.
The council said it would limit the amount of development until access roads had been improved, to ensure local roads could cope with the increased traffic.