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COAL & THE UK

In the midst of the climate crisis, the UK still mines and imports coal. The coal is primarily used for steel and cement production. Mining companies are currently applying for more underground coal mine applications and expansions, which we are fighting - such as the proposed West Cumbria coal mine. There is currently one large operating coal mine in the UK - Aberpergwm, a deep coal mine in South Wales.  Read our coal facts and figures, or our myth busters. Below you can find site specific information about active, recently closed, and proposed coal mining sites in the UK.

South Wales

South Wales

South Wales

South Wales

England

ACTIONS & NEWS

We don’t need to set fire to our future to keep warm this winter

We sometimes hear from people that they are worried coal may be a necessary evil to keep us warm this winter. But the worst effects of this energy crisis was, and to some extent is, avoidable. Low-hanging fruit include home insulation, community-owned renewable energy generation, and an effective windfall tax…

Coal is finite, but we are relentless

FINITE features the Campaign to Protect Pont Valley and the occupation of the Hambacher forest. It shows how, through relentless campaigning, direct action and creative protest, concerned people stopped destruction of the remaining Hambacher forest in the Rhineland, Germany and prevent Banks Group from expanding in the Pont Valley, Durham, UK.

“Scotland … has drawn a line, the era of coal is over”

The Scottish government has stated that the “era of coal is over”. Lorna Slater, Co-leader of the Scottish Greens, announced the preferred position against coal mining, for all types of coal. This is essentially a ban on coal mining in Scotland, similar to the one on fracking.

Ffos-y-fran opencast coal mine pressures Council for extension in climate crisis

Ffos-y-fran (pronounced in English as Fossey-vran) is a large opencast coal mine in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, mining primarily thermal coal. Mining company Merthyr Ltd (previously, Miller Argent) was awarded planning permission in February 2005 on appeal and began opencast coal mining….

Write to your MP to stop the Whitehaven coal mine proposal

The decision to stop or allow the proposed 61.4 million tonne coal mine has been delayed. We are keen to apply as much pressure to stop the mine as possible. Please join us in writing to your MP now to ask that they do everything in their power to stop the mine.

Coal extraction – call for evidence

oth Wales and Scotland has a long legacy of suffering the localised impacts of environmental blight and hazardous conditions of coal mining, with nearby communities rarely seeing a significant share of the economic benefits. Wales is still littered with unrestored or poorly restored coal mines. It was reported that only this year are…

Lochinvar proposal – a licence to harm

New Age Exploration Ltd propose to extract up to 33.7 million tonnes of coking coal for steelworks in the UK and beyond between 2025 and 2051 near Carlisle, in South West Scotland. This may worsen local air quality, reduce the value of nearby residential properties, make local roads more dangerous with HGV traffic, and will emit around 73 million…

Key facts: Aberpergwm coal mine expansion

42 million tonnes during the life of the extension + 30 million tonnes of “middling” coal to be dumped or put back into the coal mine.
Around 100 million tonnes of CO2 and up to 1.17 million tonnes of methane could be emitted during…

Coal round up February 2022

Update on coal extraction and use in the UK. The situation with coal production and use in the UK is changing. There are no new opencast mines proposed; only one proposed opencast coal extension and one existing opencast extraction site…

CAN instructs Barristers to take Welsh Government and the Coal Authority to task over Aberpergwm colliery extension.

Our Barrister’s pre-action letter convincingly puts the power to stop the Aberpergwm colliery extension licence firmly in the hands of Welsh Government Ministers. Now it is up to those Ministers to take their rhetoric and put it into swift, decisive action…

Licenced: the Aberpergwm coal mine extension

On 25th January 2022, whilst the Welsh and UK Governments continued to argue over which could stop it, The Coal Authority approved the full licence for an underground coal mine extension to Energybuild Ltd. The company can now mine a further 40 MILLION TONNES of coal until 2039…

An open letter to stop the Aberpergwm coal extension

Combined, both of you have received nearly 4000 emails from people who are dismayed by the news that the deep coal mine operated by EnergyBuild Ltd in Aberpergwm may imminently have the licence to extend it deconditionalised by The Coal Authority regulator…

Aberpergwm coal extension

Energy Build ltd are on the cusp of getting their Aberpergwm coal mine extension licence. The licence could be obtained any day, and work begin shortly thereafter. Coal is our collective heritage, but it cannot be our future…

52 people tragically killed in mining explosion in Kuzbass region of Russia

We are deeply saddened to hear that yesterday (25th November 2021) a suspected methane explosion killed 52 people, including 6 rescuers, at the Listvyazhnaya coal mine. The underground mine lies close to the town of Gramoteino, in the heavily mined Kuzbass coal field.

Johnson’s first comment on proposed Cumbrian coal mine

On the first day of the Conference of Parties Climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow Boris Johnson for the first time has said that he is not in favour of a new coal mine in the UK. Tommy Greene explains what happened in an article on Left Foot Forward.

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