COAL-fired electricity production in Scotland will end this afternoon when Longannet power station in Fife switches off the last of its four generating units for the final time.

It came on line in 1969 after taking eight years to build, and was the largest such unit in Europe. Longannet was originally designed to run for just 25 years and throughout its life it has powered on average over 2 million homes in every year of operation.

More than 200 jobs will go at the plant itself, along with over 1,000 others in the supply chain. Around a dozen local companies will be directly affected and almost 200 across Scotland, so reaction to its closure has, understandably, been mixed.

The Longannet task force – chaired by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing – has rejected a £9 million funding package, a move that Fife Council’s deputy leader said was a “slap in the face” for the communities.

“When Halls of Broxburn closed the Scottish Government were generous in their funding of nearly £12m of additional resources to the area to fund, not just an immediate recovery plan, but a legacy of activities,” said Lesley Laird.

“We have to ask why Longannet is any different given that it has such far-reaching repercussions for the three local authority areas it includes. I don’t understand the logic of why that money is not forthcoming and I think it’s pretty galling for the communities.

“There’s a real disarray in terms of energy strategy for the UK and Scotland, and I think it’s disappointing that we haven’t got a cohesive response.”

Ewing blamed the UK Government, which he said needed an urgent review of its energy policy.

He said: “The shambles of the Westminster Tories energy policy sees the premature closure of Longannet happen at the same time as warnings continue about the narrowing gap between electricity demand and supply.

“With the closure of Longannet the margin of spare capacity will get even tighter, yet the Tories have put the brakes on the development of replacement capacity in Scotland, onshore and offshore wind power and the CCS project which would have resulted in increased low carbon thermal generation at Peterhead.

“They need an urgent rethink of their failing energy policy.”

However, the green lobby welcomed the closure, with Friends of the Earth Scotland declaring it marked the beginning of the end for fossil fuels in Scotland.

Director Dr Richard Dixon said: “Coal is the dirtiest of the main fossil fuels and in a peak year Longannet was producing 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, around a fifth of all Scotland’s climate change emissions. The closure of Longannet will be the single biggest reduction in Scotland’s climate change emissions ever.

“The Government should be planning for a large scale transition away from dirty energy that includes support and retraining for workers.”

And Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, added: “The next Scottish Government must focus on setting out a clear strategy for our energy future. The strategy must embrace renewable energy if we’re to secure the benefits of a low carbon economy, attract jobs and investment, cut our climate emissions and ensure Scotland maintains its competitive advantage in this global transition.”

Hugh Finlay, generation director at ScottishPower, said it was the end of an era: “For the first time in more than a century no power produced in Scotland will come from burning coal.

“Although ScottishPower is at the forefront of renewable energy development, we will be reflecting today on the important contribution that Longannet has made in keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses for nearly half a century.”

No decisions have been taken on the future of the site, but ScottishPower is expected to outline its plans before the end of the year.