BACK TO TOP

UK Government makes it official: coal mining no more

Massive campaign win!

Coal Action Network has been campaigning for a ban on new coal mining for years, and met with numerous MPs in the lead-up to the 2024 UK General Election. Together with our supporters, we celebrate this clear win for us and for all the communities that won't now suffer noise, dust, and traffic pollution from nearby coal mining. As the first G7 country to ban coal mining, it also sets an example to other G7 countries to follow.

How will the Government ban new coal mining

The UK Government has laid a Written Ministerial Statement confirming that it will introduce legislation to "restrict the future licensing of new coal mines", by amending the Coal Industry Act 1994, "when Parliamentary time allows".

The UK Government's press release is entitled "New coal mining licences will be banned". We thinks it's great that the UK Government is following through on its historic manifesto pledge to rule out new coal mining throughout the UK. Following on the coattails of the UK’s exit from coal-fired power generation, this commitment bolsters the UK’s international reputation in leaving behind the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel. We hope to work with the UK Government to ensure no loopholes are carried into the final wording, and to leverage similar commitments in other G20 countries

What might still slip through?

  1. The UK Government's press release is caveated in the Notes to editors with "Limited exceptions to the ban may be required for safety or restoration purposes." - many opencast coal mine proposals for the past 10 years have dressed up their coal mines as restoration projects claiming they'll restore old deep mine shafts or land they brand as derelict and degraded. The notorious sprawling Ffos-y-fran opencast coal mine site is called the 'Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Project', for example.
  2. The ban won't affect projects that seek to mine coal from disused coal tips - such as ERI Ltd's proposal to mine two Bedwas coal tips of some 400,000-800,000 tonnes of coal. That's because it doesn't require a Coal Authority licence as the coal's already been extracted from the seam. With hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste coal contained within thousands of coal tips across South Wales alone, a potentially huge area of coal extraction is entirely unaffected by the UK Government's proposed ban.
  3. The ban won't affect the large and currently operating Aberpergwm deep coal mine, which has planning permission to operate until 2039 to extract 42 million tonnes of coal. Moreover, the proposed ban won't affect the mine's ability to apply for a time-extension after 2039, because it's licence from the Coal Authority is until 2099.
Published: 15. 11. 2024

Share now:

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
David Robert Hann
David Robert Hann
5 months ago

The Government caveat, “When Parliamentary time allows” should also be noted. That sounds like government speak for how long is a piece of string.

0
Reply

Never miss an update! Sign up to our Newsletter

OTHER STORIES

Countering fake news in the Senedd
July 3rd 2025

We’re actively setting the record straight when fake news about coal is spread through public figures, social media, or the press. The rise of populist politics and politicians tend to drive statements that are don’t entirely match the evidence, but may win them some votes…

360 exploration of Ffos-y-fran opencast coal mine
July 2nd 2025

Explore the landscape via the images below, drag around the viewpoints and go full-screen for the immersive experience. This is what the 58,000 residents of Merthyr Tydfil face every day…and with a new plan by mining company, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, to evade its responsibility to restore…

Tip closest to residents to remain untouched
May 8th 2025

This information seeks to clarify which tips are included in ERI Ltd’s proposal to mine and then flatten certain coal tips in Caerphilly. The tips selected appear to be on the basis of which would be most profitable to mine of the ‘waste coal’ they contain…

The Bill that risks reigniting coal mining in Wales
May 6th 2025

The Welsh Government’s Deputy First Minister, in his response to the CCEIC’s Stage 1 Report, admits the “Bill does not prevent the extraction or burning of coal” but adds “I cannot envisage a scenario in which the extraction and burning of coal will arise as a result of the Bill”…

Coal in industry
April 25th 2025

The direct use of coal as a feedstock (not just energy) is particularly significant in China, where coal is used extensively in coal to gasification plants to produce chemicals such as methanol, ammonia, and…

The natural world of Glan Lash
April 18th 2025

This nature was photographed around 50 metres from the edge of the Glan Lash opencast coal mine in Ammanford, South Wales. It shows the thriving ecosystems surrounding the Glan Lash opencast coal mine which has remained dormant since 2019…

Committee takes forward CAN’s key recommendations
April 15th 2025

In February, CAN gave oral testimony to the Climate Change, Energy, and Infrastructure Committee (CCEIC) on the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill…

Westminster: our evidence on Wales’ coal legacy
April 7th 2025

Coal Action Network was invited to attend Westminster where we gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee in their inquiry about the environmental and economic legacy of Wales’ industrial past, alongside Friends of the Earth Cymru. This inquiry was opened in…

Lethal landscape: cuts to Ffos-y-fran mine restoration puts community at risk
March 25th 2025

16 years of opencast coal mining in Ffos-y-fran has generated colossal overburden mounds, also known as slag heaps or coal tips. There are three coal tips, with the third being the largest, and cumulatively accounting for 37 million cubic metres of colliery spoil, rocks, and soil…

CONNECT WITH US

Share now:

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x