In Great Britain, the last remaining coal-fired power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soaris closed this week. Built about six decades ago and capable of powering two million homes, the power plant has fulfilled its mission. Its closure ends an era in which Britain was heavily dependent on coal for its energy needs. After 142 years of producing energy from coal, Great Britain has officially left the era of this energy source.
In the 1990s, coal provided as much as 80 percent of British electricity, while by 2023 that share has fallen to just one percent. Wind, solar and bioenergy are now taking a leading role in Britain’s energy mix, supported by gas and nuclear.
The closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant is part of Britain’s goal to switch to exclusively renewable energy production by 2030.
Great Britain is the first major economy that managed to completely eliminate coal from its energy strategy, although some European countries, such as Sweden and Belgium, took that step earlier.
The remaining workers in the power plant will remain engaged for another two years in the process of decommissioning the plant. Along with the closure of this power station, the last British blast furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales was closed, resulting in the loss of almost 2,000 jobs. This furnace, which used coal, will be replaced by an electric version that will emit less carbon dioxide and contribute to cleaner steel production, reports the world media.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
