End of UK Coal-Fired Electricity: Lessons for India

• The closure of Britain’s last coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire signifies a global shift in energy production.
• The transition has been influenced by geo-political, environmental, economic, and social pressures.
• The Great Smog of London of 1952, the discovery of natural gas in the North Sea in 1965, and the desire to move away from coal imports from the Soviet Union have all contributed to the transition.
• The forced closures of about 20 mines in the mid-1980s by the Margaret Thatcher government led to blight and inter-generational poverty in coal-reliant regions.
• India and China sought an amendment to the final declaration at the 2021 Glasgow COP, pledging to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and meet half its energy needs from renewables by 2050.
• India is the third largest carbon emitter, with emissions of about 2.9 gigatons in 2023, but its population is over 20 times that of the U.K.
• India’s coal-fired power plants are about 12 years old, indicating they have a few decades before decommissioning.