Steep decline in coal-fired electricity generation means no need for new coal mines, campaigners claim
The UK does not need any more coal mines.
That’s the clear message from environmental campaigners this week, after new analysis revealed the UK’s coal phase-out plans negate the need for any extra supply.
Without coal-fired power, there’s no need to build for the UK any new coal mines, NGOs and climate policy experts insist, this week urging Communities Secretary James Brokenshire to reject planning permission for an opencast coal mine on a famed stretch of the Northumbrian coast.
They say the UK already has sufficient stockpiled coal to fuel power stations until 2025, when the government has pledged to end unabated coal power.
Plans to open a new coal mine in Druridge Bay were originally recommended for approval by a planning inspector in 2017. They were met with fierce local opposition, and the application was rejected by Brokenshire’s predecessor Sajid Javid in 2018, citing concerns over its contribution to climate change.
Read more: Business Green