The last remaining coal fired power station in the UK, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, is set to close on 30th September after receiving its final coal delivery in late June.
The closure marks the end of coal-fired power generation in Britain, a sector that once provided more than a third of the country’s electricity.
Plans are underway to transform the site into a zero carbon technology and energy hub.
The company managing the site announced last year that it intends to produce low carbon hydrogen there, with a goal of reaching 500MW in electrolysis capacity by the end of the decade.
Coal use in the UK has significantly decreased in recent years, dropping from over 95% of electricity generation at the start of the 20th century to just 1% by 2023.
The government’s target to end coal generation by 2024 is aligned with the power station’s closure.
The Ratcliffe power station, which began operations in 1967, has been capable of generating enough electricity to power more than two million homes.
Over its 57 years, it produced enough energy to make over 21 trillion cups of tea.
