Monday 30 September, 2024 marks a momentous day in the UK’s energy history, as the country’s last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, ceases operations.

After generating electricity since 1967, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar station will no longer burn coal to power homes and businesses, closing the chapter on the country’s 142-year reliance on fossil fuels.

This landmark moment comes as the UK becomes the first major economy to officially phase out coal power, a significant and transformative step in the global fight against climate change. The closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant — a staple of Britain’s energy infrastructure for over five decades — represents not just the end of coal power but a clear shift towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

This bold transition brings huge optimism for the future, but with it comes challenges. A key technology ensuring grid stability in this new era of renewable energy is battery storage, which allows for the efficient management of fluctuating energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar closes: Today the UK becomes the first major economy to officially phase out coal power.

Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer at the Energy System Operator, which oversees the UK’s electricity grid, has emphasised the scale of this challenge moving forward:  “There is a whole load of innovation required to help us ensure the stability of the grid… and keeping the lights on in a secure way.”

Dr Sylwia Walus, research programme manager at the Faraday Institution, has however noted the considerable progress made in battery science. “There is always scope for a new technology, but more focus these days is really how to make it more sustainable and cheaper in production,” she said.

Large-scale battery storage systems are being deployed across the UK to balance supply and demand on the grid, particularly as the country increases its reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar. These batteries can store excess energy generated during periods of high production and release it when renewable generation is low, such as during calm or cloudy conditions. Projects like the Minety battery storage facility, one of Europe’s largest, are critical to maintaining grid stability and helping the UK transition away from fossil fuels.

Explore our upcoming programme: Power Shift: The Renewable Energy Revolution is a news-style programme that will explore our collective pivot away from fossil fuel reliance towards widespread adoption of renewable energy solutions. ​

 

To truly succeed the UK needs to reduce its dependency on China by producing its own batteries and developing a highly skilled domestic workforce in this field.

As the UK pivots away from fossil fuels, the government is keen to ensure that the transition to green jobs benefits regions traditionally dependent on heavy industry, such as the North Sea oil regions.

Lord Deben, the longest-serving environment secretary, has stressed this point, saying: “I’m particularly keen on the way in which this Government, and indeed the previous Government, is trying to make sure that the new jobs, of which there are very many green jobs, go to the places which are being damaged by the changes.”

Lord Deben has also highlighted how crucial it is for these areas to be at the forefront of green technology adoption, from carbon capture and storage to renewable energy projects like wind and solar farms. “In the North Sea oil areas, that’s exactly where we should be doing carbon capture and storage, it’s where we should be putting wind and solar power,” he added.

Britain’s history with coal dates back to the birth of the industrial revolution, when the country’s economy was built on the strength of its coal industry.

“It’s a really remarkable day, because Britain, after all, built her whole strength on coal, that is the industrial revolution” – Lord Deben 

The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar marks a significant turning point, as the nation bids farewell to the fossil fuel that powered its rise as a global industrial leader.

From tomorrow, the UK enters a new era, no longer reliant on coal power and leading the way in the global transition to cleaner energy. As the birthplace of coal power, the UK’s decision to end its use stands as a powerful symbol of progress in the fight against climate change, and a promise of a cleaner, greener future for generations to come.

Our upcoming programme: Power Shift: The Renewable Energy Revolution

ITN Business’ upcoming programme will feature reporter-led content, powerful case studies, and insightful thought leadership interviews from organisations such as  The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology, the British Hydropower Association, and the Energy Networks Association.

It will be launching on the first day of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (Cop29) on 11 November, 2024.