AN INDUSTRIAL era ended today when Britain’s last coal-fired power station shut down.

The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in the East Midlands was the final act in this country’s abandonment of a fuel which once generated more than 95 per cent of our electricity.

The last deep coal mine, Kellingley colliery in Yorkshire, closed in December 2015. Since then, the remaining coal-fired power stations have burned imported coal and coal from opencast quarries in Britain.

Renewable energy now accounts for around 50 per cent of Britain’s electricity production. The rest comes from a combination of mainly gas and nuclear power.

The government target for phasing out gas-fired power stations and achieving zero-carbon energy production is 2030.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said workers’ rights and jobs must be protected as fossil fuels are removed from energy production.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar employed 170 workers.

“At Ratcliffe-on-Soar, trade unions GMB, Unite and Prospect worked with employers to make sure that all workers affected by the closure were redeployed,” he said.

“Having unions and workers at the heart of the transition planning made sure no workers were left behind. This is in sharp contrast to chaotic job losses threatened in steel and oil and gas.

“Delivering a fair climate transition needs a powerful industrial strategy supported by sustained public investment and a voice for workers.

“Ratcliffe can give us hope that with the right approach, co-ordinated pathways into new jobs and investment into skill creation are possible.”