Today, Tuesday 1st October 2024 marks the end of electricity production by coal in the UK – a journey started over 140 years ago by Edison powering strings of lightbulbs in London. Since then, coal has come to define the energy, cultural, and visual landscape of large tracts of the UK.
Having studied Mechanical Engineering down the road from Ratcliffe-On-Soar, I feel a close connection to the site having seen it from my various university bedrooms for several years – an ever-present industrial icon in the landscape. But the power station closing marks a chapter ending, in an ever-changing story of energy and how we generate and use it.
The dramatic decline in coal over the last 10 years is as impressive as the story of the renewable energy growth explosion. Every new wind, hydro and solar project has pushed the dirty polluting incumbent further off the grid. The momentum behind renewables is not slowing down with all eyes on fossil gas as the next climate damaging energy source to be pushed out. National Grid estimates that next year we will have our first hours of a fully zero carbon grid. The pace of the clean transition in the energy sector is increasing, with most of the onshore wind capacity in Scotland, but with the de-facto ban in England and Wales now over, we could generate even more low-cost home-grown energy.
With the closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, comes the end of a long and at times painful journey for coal and the communities that have grown up with it. Born and raised in Yorkshire I am all too familiar with the pit towns and communities left behind when their skills were no longer needed. In this era of rapid transformation, driven by years of inaction on climate change, everyone associated with the fossil fuel industry must recognize the need for change. Rather than waiting until their businesses finally succumb to necessary change and leaving workers without the skills for a clean energy future, the country must focus on redeploying the workforce and reskilling where necessary, whilst at the same time creating a pathway for young people towards green jobs. These companies must acknowledge that could be part of a transitioning era and embrace the opportunities that come with a more sustainable future. It is already happening, there are thousands of jobs in renewables ready and waiting.
One could say, why does this matter if China builds new coal power stations every year? Well, I argue that we have an obligation to walk the walk. We have set the standard as the first G7 nation to stop using coal for electricity, now it’s up to others to follow.
I grew up during the end of coal, and our whole energy system must now mature to deliver a sustainable future for all. I look forward to the future as the energy sector rises to the challenge of a clean, green grid by 2030.
Miles Latham, Junior Renewables Analyst