❌ UK closes last coal power plant - end of a 142-year era

❌ UK closes last coal power plant - end of a 142-year era

The UK will close its last coal power plant in October 2024, marking the end of a 142-year era. Coal's share of electricity production has decreased from 40% in 2012 to zero in 2024, one of the fastest energy transitions in the world.

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  • The UK will close its last coal power plant in October 2024, marking the end of a 142-year era.
  • Coal's share of electricity production has decreased from 40% in 2012 to zero in 2024, one of the fastest energy transitions in the world.
  • Renewable energy sources now account for nearly 50% of the UK's electricity supply, compared to only 7% in 2010.

A historic transition

The UK's last coal power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will close in October 2024. This marks the end of a 142-year era of coal-based electricity production in the country that was once the center of the Industrial Revolution.

The UK thus becomes the first major economy and G7 member to phase out coal power completely. Over the years, the country's coal power plants have burned approximately 4.6 billion tons of coal and generated 10.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions - more than most countries' total historical emissions from all sources.

Rapid phase-out of coal and expansion of renewables

Coal's share of UK electricity production has decreased dramatically in just a decade. From accounting for 40% of electricity production in 2012, the share fell to 1.8% in 2020 and will reach zero in 2024. At the same time, the share of renewable electricity has increased significantly. In 2010, renewable energy sources accounted for only 7% of electricity production. The forecast for 2024 indicates that renewable electricity will constitute about 50% of the UK's electricity supply.

This rapid transition has been made possible by a combination of political decisions, economic incentives, and technological development. Key factors have been emissions trading and carbon prices that have made coal power less profitable, stricter regulations on air pollution, government support for the expansion of renewable energy, and falling costs for wind and solar power.

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