Exact date iconic Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station near Nottingham will close later this month

After more than 56 years of energy production, Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station will close for good later this month. 

The site will close on September 30, with the decommissioning process beginning almost immediately. 

In late June the power station received its final coal shipment - a 1,650-tonn delivery made by GB Railfreight. 

Its final delivery of fuel was enough to generate power for approximately 500,000 homes over eight hours.

First commissioned in 1968, Ratcliffe is the UK’s last operational coal-fired power station, with the capacity to produce enough electricity to power more than two million homes. 

Over its 57 years, the electricity generated has produced enough energy to make more than 1 billion cups of tea per day and over 21 trillion overall.

The site’s eight cooling towers, which can be seen from miles around, are a familiar site for residents returning to Nottingham are time away from the city. 

In July last year, Rushcliffe Borough Council granted the power station site with a Local Development Order (LDO). 

This allows the development of the site to be fast-tracked after the power station shuts at the end of this month. 

The council hopes that the LDO will increase the speed at which planning processes can be progressed for a range of modern industrial uses. 

Possible uses for the 265-hectare site include electric car production and sustainable energy generation.