In Great Britain, the last coal-fired power station has shut down. Among the industrialized countries, Britain became the first country to completely abandon the use of coal for electricity production.
Points of attention
- Great Britain becomes the first industrialized country to completely abandon the use of coal for electricity production, marking a significant milestone in the transition to cleaner energy sources.
- Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire's last coal-fired power station, has shut down after 57 years of operation, symbolizing Britain's commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
- Britain is actively replacing coal with cheaper gas and wind power, with plans to create an electricity generation structure that emits almost no CO2 by 2035.
- The UK government is focused on expanding solar energy production, building new wind farms, and leading the development of large electricity storage projects, including the construction of the world's largest storage facility near Manchester.
- The closure of the last coal-fired power plant in Great Britain represents a significant step towards achieving a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sector in the country.
What is known about Britain's refusal to use coal for electricity production
In particular, the country's last coal-fired power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, is due to shut down completely on Monday 30 September.
It is expected that its decommissioning will take about 2 years, after which it will be demolished.
The construction of the TPP began in 1963, the first power unit was put into operation four years later, the station produced electricity for 57 years. 141,768 railloads of coal have been delivered to Ratcliffe since 1967, with the last shipment on 28 June 2024.
The power station could provide 2 million households with electricity. At the peak of its development, 3,000 workers worked around the clock.
What alternative sources of electricity does Great Britain use?
Britain has been phasing out coal in electricity generation since the early 2000s, when demands for clean air increased. Coal was gradually replaced by cheaper gas and wind energy.
By 2035, Great Britain wants to design the structure of electricity generation in such a way that almost no CO2 is emitted in production.
The new government is in favor of expanding the production of solar energy. It should also be possible to build wind farms again in rural areas. At the same time, large electricity storage projects are being developed in Britain. It is planned that the largest storage facility in the world will be built near Manchester.
