United Kingdom (UK) became the first G7 country to end coal-fired power production on September 30, 2024 with the closure of its last plant, Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar in England’s Midlands.
- It has ended 140 years of coal power in Britain.
- In 2015 Britain announced plans to close coal plants within the next decade as part of wider measures to reach its climate targets.
- At that time almost 30% of the country’s electricity came from coal but this had fallen to just over 1% last year.
- The drop in coal power has helped cut Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions, which have more than halved since 1990.
- Britain, which has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, also plans to decarbonise the electricity sector by 2030, a move which will require a rapid ramp-up in renewable power such as wind and solar.
