Green Light Given for U.K.'s First Deep Coal Mine in 30 Years

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The first planned deep coal mine in the U.K. for 30 years will go ahead after the government decided not to interfere with the original permission granted by Cumbria County Council.

Woodhouse Colliery will be Britain's first newly built deep coal mine in decades and will cost approximately £165 million ($213 million) to develop. The mine will be constructed on the site of the former Marchon Industrial Works, adjacent to the Haig Colliery in Whitehaven which shut in 1986, and will create 500 jobs. It will be capable of producing 2.4 million tonnes per year from a reserve of approximately 750 million tonnes over a minimum of 43 years. The developer, West Cumbria Mining, welcomed the government's decision not to give into calls for a further investigation into the project.

"West Cumbria Mining is delighted that the Government has agreed with Cumbria County Council's unanimous decision to approve the planning application for the project and has rejected the request for the project to be 'called in'," it stated. WCM would like to thank all of those who have supported the project throughout with particular thanks to Copeland MP Trudy Harrison and Copeland Mayor Mike Starkie. WCM can now start the process of delivering on its plan to build one of the most modern mines in the world. It will supply the U.K. and international steel industry, deliver hundreds of local jobs and deliver a first-class supply chain across the county."

The project originally received the green light in March this year but came under fire and a large number of objections from environmental groups, and there were calls for the project to come under government scrutiny. Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, who asked for the "call-in" described the news to the BBC as "a kick in the teeth in the fight to tackle climate change. Cumbria has so many renewable resources to provide energy - water, wind and solar - and we should most definitely not be taking the backwards step of opening a new coal mine."

The last deep coal mine in the U.K. was the Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, which closed in 2016.

On its website, West Cumbria Mining explained: "A study in America showed a coal mine with 300 employees indirectly creates at least twice as many jobs in the region, as employees have more disposable income than previously, which impacts on local spending with retail, leisure, construction etc. As with any change to a local area, there may be decisions that might not suit every individual, but it is our intention to develop a mine which brings significant benefits that the whole community can enjoy for many years to come. It is hoped work could begin on the site in early 2020, with coal production starting about two years later."

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