The Queen enters the coalface, 600 yards underground, at the Silverwood Colliery in Yorkshire in 1958

Britain went coal-free for the whole of Friday, generating all its electricity without using even one lump of the most polluting of all the fossil fuels. If the grid goes the whole of Friday without coal power then it would be the first continuous 24-hour coal-free period for Britain since use of the fossil fuel began. The National Grid control room tweeted: "For the past 24 hours National Grid has supplied the UK's electricity without the need for coal generation as part of the energy mix." National Grid’s electricity control room tweeted: “It looks likely that today will be the first ever working day in Britain without coal since the industrial revolution!”

The electricity grid has been coal-free a number of times since last spring, as gas and renewables such as wind and solar play an increasing role in providing the country with power. On Thursday, there was no electricity from coal for more than 12 and a half hours, more than half the day, with it making no contribution to the UK’s power supplies late at night when demand was low and for a period in the day, the data shows. The efforts have thus far resulted in yearly reductions in coal burned, the Guardian reports:

"Coal has seen significant declines in recent years, accounting for just 9% of electricity generation in 2016, down from around 23% the year before, as coal plants closed or switched to burning biomass such as wood pellets. Britain’s last coal power station will be forced to close in 2025, as part of a government plan to phase out the fossil fuel to meet its climate change commitments. Cordi O'Hara of the National Grid said: "To have the first working day without coal since the start of the industrial revolution is a watershed moment in how our energy system is changing. Hannah Martin, from Greenpeace UK, said: "A decade ago, a day without coal would have been unimaginable, and in 10 years' time our energy system will have radically transformed again." It is a clear message to any new government that they should prioritise making the UK a world leader in clean, green, technology.”

Gareth Redmond-King, head of climate and energy at WWF, called the first coal-free working day “a significant milestone in our march towards the green economic revolution”. "They will need to get on with the coal phase-out plan and recognise the economic potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency." “However, It’s important to remember coal is still an important source of energy as we transition to a low carbon system.”

It is thought to be the first time the country has been without electricity from coal since the world’s first centralised public coal-fired generator opened at Holborn Viaduct in London, in 1882.
The United Kingdom, on Friday, did not derive energy from any coal-fired source, the first continuous 24-hour, coal-free period for the UK since use of the fossil fuel began. Coal accounted for just 9 percent of the electricity generated last year.