The country's last remaining coal-fired power station officially ended operations on Monday (September 30) as the UK moves to cleaner forms of energy.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)

New photos show inside Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station as final unit closes

40 employees are set to leave the landmark site later this month

by · NottinghamshireLive

A series of photographs have captured life inside the iconic Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station ahead of a two-year decommissioning process. The coal-fired power station, which is the last of its kind in the UK, ceased generating energy on Monday (September 30) after more than 50 years of powering Nottinghamshire and the wider UK.

Capable of powering two million homes, the facility started production in 1968 and is a distinctive landmark with its eight cooling towers and 199-metre-tall chimney. The closure marks the continuation of a move away from generating energy from coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, towards greener fuels.

It also sets in motion a chain of events that is likely to see the famous old towers, known by many who have driven down the A453, demolished despite a plea to leave at least one of them standing. Decommissioning began on Tuesday (October 1), and is expected to take two years to complete. People came to bear witness to the power station’s final day of operation on Monday, taking pictures from a nearby bridge and outside the gate.

Permission has already been secured for two of the southernmost cooling towers at the historic site to be demolished - with Uniper, the site's operator, having previously said that all demolition will be complete by 2030. Ratcliffe's eight cooling towers stand at a height of 114 metres, with the walls of each tower being seven inches thick and constructed from reinforced draught concrete.

News of the power station's closure has already led to the creation of a petition to save the cooling towers as a monument to Nottinghamshire's industrial heritage. Renowned playwright James Graham, the man behind the BBC's Sherwood series, has been among those urging the cooling towers to be kept.

Yet Mike Lockett, the UK Country Chair at Uniper, said: "The plan for the site includes a full redevelopment, including the site where the towers are, so that overall redevelopment will lead to the towers coming down." Greenpeace member Bob Knight said: “It’s something to celebrate, but I also wanted to thank Ratcliffe-on-Soar for all the power it’s generated over the years – the lights it’s kept on, the jobs it’s generated, the people it’s kept warm.”

“We’re hopefully going to use this site for greener energy generation in the future.” Photos from a closure event at the landmark, held a day after power production ended, can be found in our photo gallery below:

A view inside the control room at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
It brings an end to over 140 years of coal-fired power generation in the UK(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Workers pictured in the turbine hall at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Control Engineer Nigel Dumelow(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Around 40 staff will be leaving the site at the end of October(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Amid a petition to save the eight cooling towers at Ratcliffe on Soar power station as a monument, bosses have confirmed the towers will have to come down as part of redevelopment plans.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has been generating electricity since 1968(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Sean Atton, the decommissioning manager for the power station, explained that Network Rail and East Midlands Airport will be among the organisations that have to be consulted before demolition begins.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Decommissioning manager Sean Atton of Uniper pictured at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
It has been the last station of its kind in the UK since September 2023(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
As the power station closes, most of the 170 people employed by the plant’s owner, Uniper, will stay on to help with the two-year decommissioning process.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Coal went on to play a major role in the national energy supply throughout the 20th century and accounted for about 80% of UK power in 1990, falling to 39% in 2012.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Coal went on to play a major role in the national energy supply throughout the 20th century and accounted for about 80% of UK power in 1990, falling to 39% in 2012.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
While the likes of Sweden and Belgium were among the first in Europe to phase out coal entirely, the UK will be the first country in the G7 bloc of major world economies to reach the milestone(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
A closure event was held at the power station a day after power production ended.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Mike Lockett, the UK Country Chair at Uniper, said: "The plan for the site includes a full redevelopment, including the site where the towers are, so that overall redevelopment will lead to the towers coming down(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The last Nottinghamshire power station cooling towers to come down were based at the old High Marnham power station in Retford, where demolition took place in 2012(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
A banner was present in the turbine hall on the final day(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The cooling towers and chimney at the former Cottam power station are also scheduled to be demolished before the end of 2025.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)