The UK’s journey to a coal power phase-out

The UK officially entered a coal-free power era on 1 October 2024 following the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant. This milestone concludes a rapid decline in coal use since 2012, during which power sector emissions fell by 74% and renewable energy generation expanded significantly.

• The UK achieved a total phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation on 1 October 2024, following the closure of the final coal plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, at midnight on 30 September 2024.
• Coal's contribution to UK electricity generation declined sharply from nearly 40% in 2012 to 2% by 2019, eventually reaching zero in 2024. In 2012, coal generated 143 TWh of electricity.
• Power sector emissions decreased by 74% between 2012 and 2023, falling from 160 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) to 41 MtCO2e. The decline in coal power since 2012 avoided 880 MtCO2e, which is more than double the UK's total annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2023.
• The phase-out of coal was driven by the growth of renewables and a decrease in electricity demand. Wind and solar generation rose from 21 TWh in 2012 to 96 TWh by the end of 2023, with their share of electricity increasing from 6% to 34%. UK electricity demand fell by 16% since 2012.
• Five primary policy and market factors enabled the coal phase-out: tightening decarbonisation targets (including the 2008 Climate Change Act), raising the cost of coal through a minimum carbon price and air pollution limits, stable support for offshore wind, market reforms like the Contracts for Difference scheme, and electricity grid investments.
• The UK government now targets a clean power system by 2030, which involves doubling onshore wind, tripling solar power, and quadrupling offshore wind. Ember modelling suggests gas generation could be reduced to 2% of the electricity mix by 2030.
• Transitioning from coal to a fully clean power system requires addressing new challenges, including the need for battery storage to replace gas's balancing function. National Grid Future Energy Scenarios indicate a need for over 14 GW of additional battery storage capacity between 2025 and 2035.
• Grid constraints are currently delaying renewable projects. To address this, National Grid plans to invest approximately £10 billion in grid expansion, and a £3.4 billion offshore connection between Scotland and England has been announced via an Ofgem fast-track scheme.

APA

Mayo, F. (2024). The UK’s journey to a coal power phase-out. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-uks-journey-to-a-coal-power-phase-out

Chicago

Mayo, Frankie. The UK’s journey to a coal power phase-out. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-uks-journey-to-a-coal-power-phase-out.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mayo |first1=Frankie |title=The UK’s journey to a coal power phase-out |publisher=Ember |date=20 September 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-uks-journey-to-a-coal-power-phase-out |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mayo2024uks, author = {Mayo, Frankie}, title = {{The UK’s journey to a coal power phase-out}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-uks-journey-to-a-coal-power-phase-out}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }