End of an Era - Flipping the switch on coal-fired generation in the UK:
The site’s countdown to closure began in 2015 when the Government announced plans to end UK coal power generation, finally confirming the October 2024 end date in 2020.
In January 2024, all four of Ratcliffe’s 500MW units ran together for the last time. And, in June, the last delivery of coal by train arrived, carrying the final 1,650 tonnes shipment from the port of Immingham to the site, and the occasion was marked with a locomotive officially named ‘Ratcliffe Power Station’.
For its 170 Uniper employees the site was more than just a workplace.
Many have spent their entire careers here alongside friends, relatives and neighbours. Some have retired as the station closed, while most have stayed on for decommissioning.
Our investments in technical advancements and modifications over the years enabled Ratcliffe to seamlessly switch from delivering baseload power to more flexible power generation, responding to requests to generate power for the national grid, as and when needed. This and work to reduce the station’s environmental emissions enabled it to be the last coal plant standing in the UK.
Ratcliffe power station was the only coal-fired plant in the UK to be fitted with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emission control facility, capable of reducing NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions by 70-95%. It was also equipped with a Flue-Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) plant to remove sulphur dioxide (SO2) from the exhaust flue gases before they entered the atmosphere. With both SCR and FGD technology installed, Ratcliffe was able to meet the environmental standards in the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
On Monday 30 September at 15:35 Unit 4 was taken offline with the click of a computer mouse for the final time, marking the end of 140 years of coal-fired generation in the UK.
Take a virtual tour of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station
We've been inundated with requests to visit the site for tours, photography and filming. However due to safety and security reasons during decommissioning and demolition we are unable to accommodate these requests.
We hope you enjoy this 360-degree look behind-the-scenes at Ratcliffe power station before it closed its doors for the last time.
Turn the pages of history
Flick through the Ratcliffe on Soar power station history book, and read all about its 57 years of operation.
The Dawn of a New Era – Looking to the Future:
Following closure, the site will go through a decommissioning process, which is expected to last around two years, before the site can be handed over to a demolition contractor.
Uniper has been working closely with stakeholders across the East Midlands for a number of years to develop a regionally aligned concept for the future redevelopment of the site, in advance of closure.
To aid future redevelopment, the power station site has a Local Development Order (LDO) in place granted by Rushcliffe Borough Council in 2023 which provides a framework for sustainable development, specifying the types and amount of development that can be brought forward. This could include advanced manufacturing, low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, logistics, and research and development. A large section of the site is also part of the East Midlands Freeport, the UK's only inland Freeport, which was established in 2023, with a shared interest in economic growth, and creating the opportunity for skilled jobs.
Did you know?
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Approx 350 Uniper colleagues and contractors worked on site. During an outage, this could be as many as 600 people.
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Ratcliffe has a 2GW generation capacity, which was capable of producing enough electricity to power more than two million homes, (roughly the whole of the East Midlands).
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Power sent out to the national grid since 1967 produced enough energy to make more than 1 billion cups of tea per day and over 21 trillion overall (up to 2024).
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Ratcliffe has had approx. 141,768 coal deliveries by rail since 1967. The last coal shipment took place on 28 June 2024. GB Rail Freight named one of its locomotives after Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.
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A typical train could deliver up to 15000 tonnes to the power station. At our peak we would receive over 20 trains a day.
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Ratcliffe has eight cooling towers which stand at height of 114m with a diameter of 87m at the base and 55m at the summit.
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The walls of each tower are approximately 7 inches thick and are made from reinforced draught concrete.
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Decommissioning will remove hazards from each plant area before handing over for the next stage of the process. Hazards we will remove are bulk stored oils, chemicals and gases as well as removal of any bulk byproducts and wastes.
Ratcliffe power station site injunction
On 30 July 2025, the High Court granted Uniper UK Limited an injunction in relation to the land shown edged in red (excluding the land shaded blue) on the plan attached to the injunction order (the "Land").
The injunction prohibits anyone (including Joshua Barter, Sam Williams, Ian Johnson and Luke Badharee) from doing the following, or instructing/encouraging anyone else to do so:
- Entering onto or remaining on any part of the Land without the consent of the Claimant.
- Climbing any structures (whether temporary or permanent) on the Land.
- Climbing or otherwise tampering with any equipment or machinery on the Land.
- Forcing entry into any buildings or other structures on the Land.
- Bringing vehicles onto any part of the Land.
- Setting up an unauthorised encampment on any part of the Land.
- Damaging any buildings, structures or equipment on any part of the Land.
- Entering and driving or otherwise using and/or damaging any vehicles present on the Land.
- Removing any goods or materials from the Land.
Anyone breaching the injunction could be imprisoned for up to two years, fined and/or have their assets seized for contempt of court.
Contact us
If you would like to talk to us about power station site, you can contact our Community Relations Team using the following contact information:
Email us at redevelopment@ratcliffe-uniper.com
Call us on 0115 718 2117
Phone lines are operational between 9.00 am and 17.30pm, Mondays to Fridays (excluding bank holidays). A telephone answering service is available outside of these times.
Press enquiries regarding Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site
Sara Revell
Grain
Enfield
Cottam Development Centre
Connah's Quay
Holford
Killingholme
Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Taylor's Lane
