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UK becomes the first major economy to stop burning coal for electricity – What comes next?
Britain, home of the Industrial Revolution, closed its last coal-fired power plant on Monday ending the country’s 142-year reliance on coal-generated electricity.
Of course, many will celebrate this major climate milestone. The country was the first to be powered by coal – the world’s first coal-fired electricity plant, Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Light Station, opened in London in 1882.
In 1990 coal provided about 80% of Britain’s electricity. By 2012 it had fallen to 39%, and by 2023 it stood at just 1%, according to figures from the National Grid. More than half of Britain’s electricity now comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar power, and the rest from natural gas and nuclear energy.
The shutdown makes Britain the first country from the Group of Seven major economies to phase out coal. Others in the G7 will follow: Italy (2025), Canada (2030) and Germany (2038). Three-quarters of the 38 OECD countries, too, are expected to eliminate coal power by 2030.
We look at what the global media makes of the milestone – and what they believe should come next.
“The coal age is over in the country that sparked the industrial revolution 200 years ago”
No. It won’t inspire the rest of the world
Firstly, if the rest of the world is going to be inspired by the decommissioning of Britain’s coal-fired plants there is little sign of it yet… Britain may have managed to displace coal with a combination of gas and wind power, with a small contribution from solar (4.9 per cent last year), but it is not a practical course for many countries which do not have easy access to gas supplies, and who would have no other practical means of coping with the intermittency of wind and solar. The advantage of coal is that it is very easy to transport, store and stockpile.
Nuclear power is no alternative
“The Hinkley Point project, which is already under construction, will supply electricity that is far more expensive than green energy. If it is done well, the German model combining the phasing out of nuclear energy and coal could be more favourable. But the top priority is that the newly industrialising and developing countries also switch to phasing out coal as quickly as possible. First and foremost China, which is still building new power plants. If they don’t change course, the joy over the end of the coal era in the UK will be of little use.”
- Bias Metre
- Right-Centre
- Mostly Factual
- Ownership - IWM
Renewables Guru Predicted In 1863 That U.K. Would Ditch Coal Within 200 Years. Today Is That Day.
Armstrong understood that renewables would be cheaper energy sources in the long run compared to burning dirty coal, but his was essentially a lone voice. The presumed abundance of coal led to the commissioning of the world’s first coal power plant in 1882. The U.K.’s coal plants have since burned through 4.6 billion tonnes of coal, emitting 10.4Gt of CO2, stresses Dr Sim Evans, deputy editor of Carbon Brief.
It’s a risky move and the world is watching
In the absence of new infrastructure and technology, the shift to more intermittent sources of power could leave the national grid more vulnerable to power cuts than it has been for decades… The health of the country’s economy — and the willingness of other countries to follow — may very well ride on the experiment’s success.
- Bias Metre
- Left-Centre
- High Factuality
- Ownership - The Irish Times Trust
A global milestone – UK proves its possible to phase-out coal power at unprecedented speed
Insights director at global energy think tank Ember Dave Jones said: “The renewables revolution is gathering pace around the world, and renewables will soon overtake coal as the single biggest source of global electricity. Once, coal power was a byword for industrial growth, now clean energy is driving economies.”
