Britain became the first Group of Seven country to abolish all coal-fired power generation after closing its last coal plant on Monday. This marks the end of 142 years of coal power in the country.
The closing ceremony took place on Tuesday at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire, England. The station began operation in 1967.
Officials of the operator and government attended the event.
Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said, “We are proud to become, today, the first major economy in the world to phase out coal from our energy system.”
Britain, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, built its first coal-fired power plant in 1882, and coal played an important role in supplying the country’s industrial energy needs.
Since the 1990s, the British government has actively introduced power generation using relatively eco-friendly gas and renewable energy sources.
Coal provided only a little over 1 percent of the country’s electricity last year.
London plans to accelerate its shift to renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind power.