The U.K. is aiming to close all coal-fired power plants by 2025, according to a November announcement made in the lead-up to the Paris climate conference. The U.K. is the first major economy to set a definitive date for phasing out coal.
"It cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy like the U.K. to be relying on polluting, carbon-intensive 50-year-old coal-fired power stations," said Amber Rudd, secretary of state for energy and climate change, at a speech given to the Institution of Civil Engineers. Britain currently has 11 coal power stations in operation, responsible for roughly 30 per cent of the U.K.’s electricity generation.
Coal plants that have not adopted a form of carbon capture and storage by 2023 will begin to see their usage restricted, followed by complete closure in 2025.
Rudd is hoping to replace Britain’s current coal electricity output with a mix of new nuclear and natural gas-fired power plants, with less emphasis placed on renewable energy. "We are tackling a legacy of underinvestment and aging power stations, which we need to replace with alternatives that are reliable, good value for money and help to reduce emissions," she explained.
The phase-out announcement was hailed by former U.S. vice-president and climate campaigner Al Gore as having set “an excellent and inspiring precedent,” while British environmental groups were more tepid in their enthusiasm.
“U.K. energy policy should overwhelmingly be focused on boosting renewable power and energy efficiency,” Friends of the Earth’s senior energy campaigner Simon Bullock said in a statement. “Gas is too high-carbon for a long-term future.”
Since winning re-election last May, Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has faced harsh criticism for slashing subsidies to wind and solar, along with other renewable technologies.
