One step closer to consigning coal to history

Photo © Stalon on Shutterstock

On 30 September 2024, the last coal-fired power plant in the UK shut its doors for the last time. In the nation that was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it’s time for a new clean energy revolution. The final chapter has now closed on the power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, once ranked 13^th in ‘Europe’s Dirty Thirty’ of top polluters.[1] As the steam clouds rising from its landmark cooling towers disperse, millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved from entering the atmosphere each year.

This is all part of the UK’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Following the 2016 Paris Agreement – a legally binding UN treaty on climate change – the UK Government made a series of ambitious promises. These include fully clean electricity by 2035, through measures such as rapidly increasing wind and solar, and closing down polluting coal-fired plants. 
Milestones like this are thanks in part to the efforts of the Beyond Fossil Fuels campaign (formally known as Europe Beyond Coal), a network which has been supported by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) since its creation in 2017.

The ECF is a major philanthropic movement working with more than 700 partners to accelerate climate action and build a better future. “Our vision is a greener, more peaceful and democratic Europe made possible by climate action,” says ECF CEO, Laurence Tubiana. “We can only achieve this by working together, connecting people from across society to imagine and build the climate transition.”

As many as 181 coal fired power plants have been closed since 2016, and a further 19 are planning to close[2]. Renewable energy is now being consumed in Europe at record highs (23 per cent in 2022[3]). And, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, plans are underway for the site’s redevelopment. Where millions of tonnes of coal burned for 57 years, this site will look to the future. That could include low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, and research and development.

“Transforming the site not only shows that clean innovation can rise from the ashes of the old, dirty power sources, but it provides new job opportunities and security for the community that has depended on coal for decades,” says Nathan Argent, head of the Oak’s climate sub-programme. “The transition to a cleaner future must be just and equitable, and involve those communities impacted by these changes.”

“The green transition is a springboard to so much more,” says Laurence. “Future-proofed jobs, warm homes, affordable energy, nature thriving – the coming years are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make that happen.”

Against this background, the need for energy is actually increasing, as vast, energy-hungry data centres that power artificial intelligence (AI) around the world drives up demand. For example, a ChatGPT-powered search consumes 10 times the energy of a regular online search, and by 2030, data centres will account for 8 per cent of the electricity used by the US[4]. It is essential that this new demand for power comes from clean rather than fossil-fuelled sources, which risks delaying crucial action to tackle the climate emergency.

The work of organisations like ECF is therefore all the more vital to build the pace of change. A new target of 42.5 per cent by 2030 will require doubling the rate of renewable energy deployment seen in the last decade, and a deep transformation of Europe’s energy system. Oak supports the European Climate Foundation and the Beyond Fossil Fuels campaign as part of our Environment Programme. We work with partners to safeguard our future by restoring our connection to nature, and changing the ways we feed and fuel our world.

[1] ‘Europe’s Dirty Thirty: How the EU’s coal-fired power plants are undermining its climate efforts’ (2013). PDF download: https://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/dirty_30_report_finale.pdf
[2] https://beyondfossilfuels.org/
[3] ‘Share of energy consumption from renewable sources in Europe’ – European Environment Agency https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/share-of-energy-consumption-from
[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/06/21/artificial-intelligence-nuclear-fusion-climate/