Ireland Fully Phased Out Coal

Ireland’s last coal-fired power plant, Moneypoint, has officially shut down after more than 40 years of operation.

This landmark move away from fossil fuels has been made possible by the rapid growth of Ireland’s wind energy sector, which now supplies over one-third of the country’s electricity.

Similar trends can be seen across Europe. Thanks to a large-scale shift toward renewables, the continent has nearly halved coal’s share in its energy mix. A major milestone came last year, when the United Kingdom became the first G7 country to completely stop generating electricity from coal.

According to Bloomberg, Italy is also set to close its final two coal power plants this summer. In Spain, coal-fired plants will be phased out within the year, with some being converted to run on methane.

The developments of recent years point to a new reality: coal in Europe is not just in decline — it has become a fuel of the past.