After the Coal Rush: Assessing policy options for coal-fired electricity generation

Article

In early January 2008, Medway Council gave approval to a planning application from energy company E.ON to build a new coal-fired power station on the site of an existing plant at Kingsnorth. This would be the first major coal-fired power station built in the UK since the 1970s. In this report, we provide a comprehensive examination of the issues at stake. To decide what should be done about Kingsnorth and other proposed new plants, we argue that it is essential to understand the wider context of energy markets and energy policy, both within the UK and at European level.

In early January 2008, Medway Council gave approval to a planning application from energy company E.ON to build a new coal-fired power station on the site of an existing plant at Kingsnorth. This would be the first major coal-fired power station built in the UK since the 1970s.

The Kingsnorth application has provoked a major new debate on coal, energy policy and climate policy in the UK. This is, in part, because it is the first real test of both the Climate Change Bill passing through Parliament, and the wider consensus across Government, business and civil society that more radical action must be taken to reduce carbon emissions.

In this report, we provide a comprehensive examination of the issues at stake. To decide what should be done about Kingsnorth and other proposed new plants, we argue that it is essential to understand the wider context of energy markets and energy policy, both within the UK and at European level.

You can also download the background paper by Will Blyth of Oxford Energy Associates on the economics of investment in coal-fired power stations: The Investment Case for Coal-Fired Power Generation in the UK. ippr commissioned this paper to inform the coal project.

Related items

  1. Street scene in financial district, London

    Rule of the market: How to lower UK borrowing costs

    The UK is paying a premium on its borrowing costs that ‘economic fundamentals’, such as the sustainability of its public finances, cannot fully explain. 
  2. A mother and child from behind looking out of a window

    Restoring security: Understanding the effects of removing the two-child limit across the UK

    The government’s decision to lift the two-child limit marks one of the most significant changes to the social security system in a decade.
  3. A group of healthcare professionals sitting in a staff common room in a hospital in Newcastle

    Building a healthier, wealthier Britain: Launching the IPPR Centre for Health and Prosperity

    Following the success of our Commission on Health and Prosperity, IPPR is excited to launch the Centre for Health and Prosperity.