Celebrating the end of coal-fired power stations

On 30 September 2024, Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station will produce coal-fired power for the final time in the UK. The Nottinghamshire-based plant will then be decommissioned, marking the end of an era. And it’s been a long time coming, following a campaign that spanned decades.

Consigning coal to the history books wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless determination of communities across the country, including many Friends of the Earth groups. So, to honour the occasion (and our recent landmark court victory against the Whitehaven coal mine), we’re taking a trip down memory lane and celebrating what they’ve achieved. 

Cymru against coal

With its long mining legacy, it’s no wonder that much of our coal campaigning has been driven by communities in Wales. One of the longest running battles has been led by Merthyr Tydfil Friends of the Earth. It’s campaigned against the Ffos y Fran coal mine in south Wales for over 20 years.

Ffos y Fran – the biggest opencast mine in the UK – opened in 2008 but had been in the works since the 1980s. Local residents fought tirelessly to stop the mine at every turn. They lobbied council leaders and Senedd members, engaged with journalists, and organised a rally outside the council offices on the day the application was being considered.  Finally, in April 2023, the council unanimously rejected an application to continue mining at the site, and it closed for good in November 2023.

It's a massive relief. It's a huge weight that has been lifted. We didn't realise how big that weight has been over the last 20 years.

Alyson Austin, Merthyr Tydfil Friends of the Earth

The United Valleys Action Group (UVAG) – which was set up by local residents with support from Friends of the Earth – was also instrumental in Merthyr Tydfil, blocking the proposed Nant Llesg mine. The group’s 5-year campaign involved powerful stunts, including a mock funeral for the valley and a staged trial of the mining company. The proposal was unanimously rejected by the council in 2015, not only stopping the mine but also saving a nearby wetland haven for birds and insects.  

And Wales’s last mining proposal was defeated in September 2023, when an application to extend mining at Glan Lash in Carmarthenshire was refused. Over 800 local people had sent objections to the council, demonstrating the strength of community resistance. Thanks to this council’s decision, there’s currently no opencast mining in Wales. Our Cymru team, together with our network of activists and groups in Wales, are campaigning to keep it that way.

North East says “no”

Another epicentre of the campaign has been the North East. In 2015 Alnwick Friends of the Earth and the Save Druridge group rallied against plans for a coal mine in Druridge Bay, Northumberland. Together with these local activists, we made the government intervene, gave evidence at the public inquiry, delivered a letter to the secretary of state signed by over 20,000 supporters, and eventually defeated the mine. And the Druridge campaign epitomised what Friends of the Earth is all about – working closely with local people and making use of our legal, planning and campaigning expertise.

It doesn’t matter how big a company or how strong a county council is – a small group of individuals can defeat them.

Duncan Lawrence, Save Druridge

We also worked alongside tenacious community campaigners. Climate Action Newcastle was involved in the fight against Dewley Hill, a proposed mine on the outskirts of the city that received over 5,000 objections. After lobbying of the council, the application was rejected in December 2020. Meanwhile, local activists prevented an extension to the Bradley mine in Pont Valley, meaning it shut down for good in August 2020.

And of course there are the coal-fired power plants themselves. We were involved in the campaign against Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, including its air pollution impacts, which stopped burning coal in 2021. And in 2022 Nottingham Friends of the Earth took part in a day of action organised by Make Polluters Pay, demonstrating in front of the massive pile of coal at Ratcliffe.

Green jobs first

As activists often have written on their campaigning placards, “coal is our heritage, not our future”. For many decades, coal was an integral part of people’s lives. But after the pit closures in the 1980s, mining communities were abandoned. And instead of creating new jobs, the move to opencast mines required far fewer workers while being far more polluting for local areas.

Alongside local groups like Neath Port Talbot Friends of the Earth, we’ve been demanding fair treatment and support for coal workers. Companies such as Tata Steel in Port Talbot are rightly moving to green steelmaking, but government has failed to plan for the transition, causing thousands of job losses. We’ve called for a coal-fired blast furnace to remain in place until greener infrastructure is ready – balancing the needs of our planet with the needs of communities.

As the UK continues to ditch dirty energy, it mustn’t make the same mistakes. Those currently working in the fossil fuel industry, for example North Sea oil and gas, need support from government and councils to move into green jobs fit for the future. And areas most in need of investment, such as former mining communities, must be at the forefront of their plans. 

Keeping the faith and keeping going

The fight against coal has been long and hard. We’ve been proud to stand alongside incredible communities, as well as inspiring allies like Reclaim the Power and Coal Action Network. Most recently, we’ve won an incredible legal victory with South Lakes Action on Climate Change, securing a High Court ruling that quashed planning permission for the proposed Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria. But this isn’t the end of the story.

In August 2024 a company submitted a pre-application to restart mining at Glan Lash. There’s also growing concerns around coal tips in Wales, with proposals to sell the coal to other industries for burning. Ffos y Fran is still an eyesore on the landscape, with the mining company leaving behind a gaping hole filled with polluted water, rather than restoring the site as promised. And although the UK no longer uses coal to generate power, it’s still being mined for steel and other industries. 

Yet with Ratcliffe finally closing and so many other successes under our belt, we know we have to keep going – and that if we do, we’ll eventually win.

Persistence is key – vested interests will keep fighting, so you do have to keep the faith and keep going.

Guy Shrubsole, former coal campaigner at Friends of the Earth

Merthyr Friends of the Earth is campaigning avidly for the mining company to do its duty at Ffos y Fran. We’re keeping a close eye on the Glan Lash application. And now that it has to reconsider the planning application, we’re urging the government to refuse permission for Whitehaven once and for all.

Like so many others around the country, Friends of the Earth will keep going until all coal is left in the ground.