UK Powers Down Last Coal Power Station
Jack Redpath
In September the UK decommissioned its last coal-fired power station, a major milestone in the country’s efforts to reduce its impact on climate change. As the birthplace of industrial coal power and now the first major economy to fully retire it, the UK is an important case study in transitioning away from the dirtiest fossil fuel.
The world’s first coal power station opened in London in 1882. For the next century, coal dominated the UK’s energy supply, powering homes and industry. Even as gas began to take hold in the 1990s, coal comprised nearly half of the electricity mix into the 2010s. Over the last 14 years a surge in green energy has transformed the UK grid. As the country’s last operational coal power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar was closed on 30 September 2024, renewables are powering more than half the grid.
With the UK now having set a global benchmark for retiring coal, the question arises: how far is Australia from decommissioning its last coal power station? The latest estimate indicates 14 years. While Australia is far behind the UK, this timing is much sooner than previous modelling indicated.
Every two years a roadmap for the future of Australia’s main grid, the Integrated System Plan (ISP), is updated. The ISP is modelled on the latest inputs and consultation with more than 2000 experts. The plan is a strategic roadmap designed to guide the transformation of Australia's energy system over the next 20 years.
The latest ISP released in June by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) indicates coal will be gone sooner than previously modelled. The roadmap forecasts that 90% of Australia’s remaining coal-power generation will be retired by 2035, with the last Australian coal power station to close in 2038 – five years earlier than modelled in the 2022 roadmap.
As burning coal releases more greenhouse gases than any other fossil fuel, this is positive news for Australia’s emission targets and the environment. This is also good news for energy customers, as inefficient, polluting coal power stations are the main reason our electricity prices are so volatile in Australia.
The latest ISP confirms Australia’s energy transition is in full swing. Though Australia lags years behind the UK in retiring coal power, the two countries’ renewables are more comparable. In 2024 the UK grid delivered more than 50% of its electricity through renewables, while the ISP reports renewables accounted for almost 40% of the electricity delivered through Australia’s National Electricity Market in 2023.
In Tasmania we are well ahead of most of the country (and the UK) in generating almost 100% of our electricity from renewable sources. However, Tasmanians still use lots of fossil energy in our cars, factories and in our homes. In fact, our 100% renewable electricity is only 40% of the total energy used on the island. Tasmania must build more renewable energy in the right places, so that as the world changes and moves away from fossil fuels, our state keeps pace to maintain leadership.
According to research by Carbon Zero Initiative, electricity consumption in Tasmania is forecast to increase by 48% by 2035, and 55% by FY2050, as we electrify everything and use renewable energy to phase out fossil fuels entirely.
Jack Redpath is a co-founder of Carbon Zero Initiative
