There is currently one active coal-fired power station operating in the United Kingdom, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire. [1] It has a total generating capacity of 2 GW; however one unit has been put into a preservation state prior to the plant's decommissioning, thereby reducing the generating capacity to 1.5 GW.
Phase-out of coal in the United Kingdom
In November 2015, the UK Government announced that all the remaining fourteen coal-fired power stations would be closed by 2025. [2] In November 2017 the UK Government co-founded the Powering Past Coal Alliance. In June 2021, the government said it would end coal power by October 2024. [3] [4]
| Site | Date of cessation |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ironbridge | Late 2015 | |
|
Rugeley Ferrybridge Longannet |
2016 | |
| Eggborough | 2018 | Was granted consent to convert into a gas fired power station. |
| Lynemouth | 2018 | Converted to biomass |
| Uskmouth | Being[ when?]converted to an energy from waste plant. | |
|
Cottam Aberthaw |
2019 | [5] |
| Fiddlers Ferry | 2020 | [6] |
| Drax | March 2021 | Stopped burning coal. [7] |
|
West Burton A Kilroot |
2023 | [8] [9] |
The United Kingdom had continuously burned coal for the generation of electricity since the opening of Holborn Viaduct power station in 1882. On 21 April 2017, for the first time since 1882, the GB grid had a 24-hour period without any generation from coal power. [10] In May 2019 the GB grid went its first full week without any coal power. [11] In May 2020 the GB grid beat the previous record and did not use coal generation for over a month. [12]
At present, the use of coal power is decreasing to historic lows not seen since before the Industrial Revolution. Coal supplied just over 1% of UK electricity in 2023, [13] down from 30% in 2014. [14] In 2020, coal produced 4.4 TWh of electricity and Britain went 5,202 hours free from coal electricity generation, up from 3,665 hours in 2019 and 1,856 in 2018. [15]
List of active power stations
| Name | Location | Owner | Date commissioned | Planned closure date | Total capacity (GW) |
Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratcliffe on Soar | Nottinghamshire | Uniper | 1968 [16] | September 2024 [17] | 2.00 |
|
See also
- List of active gas fired power stations in the United Kingdom
- List of electricity interconnectors in the United Kingdom
- Coal mining in the United Kingdom
References
- ^ Earl, Nicholas (2 October 2023). "UK down to last coal plant as households are urged to save energy this winter". City A.M. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Gosden, Emily (18 November 2015). "UK coal plants must close by 2025, Amber Rudd announces". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "UK to end coal power by 2024".
- ^ "End to coal power brought forward to October 2024". gov.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Clowes, Ed (11 December 2019). "Wales last coal power plant to go dark on Friday". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Fiddler's Ferry: Coal-fired power station closes after 50 years".
- ^ "UK's Drax ends commercial coal generation". Montel News. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "West Burton A - the past and the future of power?". BBC. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Maskell, Geoff (29 September 2023). "Kilroot: 'Electricity disruption unlikely' as power station closes". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "British power generation achieves first ever coal-free day". The Guardian. London. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ "Britain passes one week without coal power for first time since 1882". The Guardian. London. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Britain hits coal-free month milestone as demand remains low". Current News. London. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "Analysis: UK electricity from fossil fuels drops to lowest level since 1957". CarbonBrief. 21 February 2024 – via www.carbonbrief.org.
- ^ Evans, Simon (10 February 2016). "Countdown to 2025: Tracking the UK coal phase out". Carbon Brief. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Last 12 months – MyGridGB".
- ^ "Power Stations in the United Kingdom (operational at the end of May 2004)" (PDF). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "EDF announces closure of West Burton A power station, leaving Britain with one remaining coal plant". iNews. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
