UK Overtakes US and China as First to End Reliance on Coal Power

The United Kingdom has created history by becoming the first G7 country to have closed down its final coal power plant on October 1st. 

The 140-year history of coal power in the UK has ended with the closure of this coal plant. The world's first coal plant opened its doors in London in 1882.

Last Coal Station in the UK

On October 1, the nation got its final coal-generated electricity from the Nottinghamshire coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar. The station has powered the nation for the last 57 years. A live webcast from the control room marked the ultimate shutdown of the plant's units. According to The Guardian, the 170 surviving employees of Ratcliffe were in attendance for this historic day.

Expensive Carbon Tax Policy of the UK

The decision was made in response to growing requests for the world to transition to a coal-free energy economy by 2040. Interestingly, the UK was the first nation to declare that the country would cease coal use by the year 2025. In the early 1980s, coal accounted for 80% of the UK's electrical demands; by 2012, that percentage had dropped to 40%. 

According to the Guardian, to speed up the process of stopping the reliance on coal for energy, the nation has been enacting expensive carbon taxes and strict green rules on coal facilities

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Global Agenda on Carbon Emissions

In accordance with the United Nations resolution, global emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 in order to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in accordance with the Paris Agreement. In addition, by 2050, the world has to achieve net zero carbon emissions. The goal of reaching net zero is to ensure that there is no surplus carbon in the atmosphere by bringing carbon emissions down to a level that the environment can absorb.

India’s Stand on Net Zero Deadline

According to the UN, China, the US, India, and the EU account for 88% of global emissions at the current levels. Meanwhile, India and other developing nations, have argued for a fairer time limit for achieving net zero aim, requiring wealthier nations to meet their goals first and giving others more time.

As a result, India has set the year 2070 as its deadline for achieving "net zero emissions." In May 2024, India logged its highest-ever electricity demand of 250 gigawatts (GW). Due to increasing demand, the nation intends to expand its existing 427 GW electricity capacity to over 900 GW by 2030. Additionally, the Central government of India has also set a target of 500 gigawatts of installed renewable energy by 2030.

India’s Reliance on Coal for Electricity

In 2023–2024, 75 percent of India's electricity was generated by coal. Unlike UK, India didnt use coal for its electricity supply till 1910s.  India's first significant thermal power plant, the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad, was only established in 1920.

The "Net Zero by 2050" report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that emerging nations should strive to eliminate their usage of coal by 2040. The same objective must be reached by the developed countries by 2030.

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