Whitehaven Coal mine

[Sprotyrover]

Greetings just been watching the news and the debate re opening a Coalmine in Whitehaven to produce Coke vital in the production of Steel.
In one sentence the reporter talks about creating 500 Jobs and helping to sustain a vital Industry... Steel! . Apparently we import all our Coke from other countries. Then we have a green on stating it will cause severe damage to our Carbon reduction goals etc.
Can somebody explain how burning Coke mined in the UK is an issue as we have to import and Burn foreign produced Coke. Surely the Agenda is to stop Steel production in the UK. We need steel and would have to import it from places like China ! Have I missed something here?

[drfchound]

A conservative government opening pits eh.
Who would believe that.

[Filo]

Apparently coal fired West Burton fired up last week because we didn’t have capacity for the demand, with overseas coal as UK coal is no longer mined for idealogical purposes

[hstripes]

I don't think you're missing anything Sproty.

Add to your points the carbon footprint of transporting imported steel should our production cease plus the additional carbon released from Steel plants in countries with less stringent environmental standards.

Proposing a course of action with the stated aim of reducing our own carbon emissions figures which in fact increases carbon commissions globally and costs UK jobs - sheer delinquency!

[Ldr]

Apparently coal fired West Burton fired up last week because we didn’t have capacity for the demand, with overseas coal as UK coal is no longer mined for idealogical purposes

Aka it’s cheaper

[hstripes]

A conservative government opening pits eh.
Who would believe that.

Plus they're in the process of renationalising part of our steel industry - Sheffield Forgemasters.

TBF to them there are sound reasons for both decisions should they go ahead - both economic and protection of key industry

[Ldr]

So, tax rise to pay for services, restarting the coal industry, nationalising vital industry and still Labour whinges?

[Sprotyrover]

A conservative government opening pits eh.
Who would believe that.

Plus they're in the process of renationalising part of our steel industry - Sheffield Forgemasters.

TBF to them there are sound reasons for both decisions should they go ahead - both economic and protection of key industry

We need our own steel industry, we can't rely on the good grace of potential enemies such as Russia and China, if we have our own means of production we need to sustain it.
I don't know what the Greens are thinking about, maybe they should save their bile for the Worlds worst Producer!

[SydneyRover]

A conservative government opening pits eh.
Who would believe that.

Plus they're in the process of renationalising part of our steel industry - Sheffield Forgemasters.

TBF to them there are sound reasons for both decisions should they go ahead - both economic and protection of key industry

We need our own steel industry, we can't rely on the good grace of potential enemies such as Russia and China, if we have our own means of production we need to sustain it.
I don't know what the Greens are thinking about, maybe they should save their bile for the Worlds worst Producer!

We know how to produce renewable energy we know how to make hydrogen, put the two together and you can make green steel.

We have known about climate change for a century and the government has been in for 11 years, where is the green steel?

[Axholme Lion]

Apparently coal fired West Burton fired up last week because we didn’t have capacity for the demand, with overseas coal as UK coal is no longer mined for idealogical purposes

And they want people to buy electric cars...

[Copps is Magic]

We shouldn't be opening coal mines full stop. Just a precursory glance shows many ways of steel making without coal - electric arc furnaces, 'Direct reduction' systems. Its already done and on the market.

[normal rules]

Apparently coal fired West Burton fired up last week because we didn’t have capacity for the demand, with overseas coal as UK coal is no longer mined for idealogical purposes

Wait till everyone starts plugging in cars overnights.

[normal rules]

I can see it now, everyone driving round in electric cars while all the old decommissioned coal fired power stations are back up and running belching out smoke .

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

We shouldn't be opening coal mines full stop. Just a precursory glance shows many ways of steel making without coal - electric arc furnaces, 'Direct reduction' systems. Its already done and on the market.

It's highly complicated and not quite as easy as some make out (Gupta for one).  It has a part to play but alongside stronger steel from raw materials.  I'm sure many scientists are working on alternatives. R&D is huge in the steel industry so they'll get there fast if it's achievable.  But coal will be required for some time which makes this coal mine sensible. It takes weeks to get the coal on ships to the UK then it has to be stored and some of it is actually lost (eg when the wind blows).  Interesting stuff but if we need steel we need to make it and at a quality too.

[roversdude]

Wonder how feasible it is to reopen a pit, it was proven that seams from Armthorpe and Thorne/Hatfield went under the North Sea, good quality high seams too

[Filo]

Wonder how feasible it is to reopen a pit, it was proven that seams from Armthorpe and Thorne/Hatfield went under the North Sea, good quality high seams too

Not a chance they can reopen, the roadways will all have collapsed by now, the shafts filled in and capped, this Country have said goodbye to coal forever

[River Don]

Wonder how feasible it is to reopen a pit, it was proven that seams from Armthorpe and Thorne/Hatfield went under the North Sea, good quality high seams too

Not a chance they can reopen, the roadways will all have collapsed by now, the shafts filled in and capped, this Country have said goodbye to coal forever

Wasn't there a Russian system that involved igniting the seam underground and tapping the energy that way?

Not very efficient but once the technology is proven it can only improve.

Completely inappropriate of course.

[wilts rover]

Is this 2021 - or 1821?

[Sprotyrover]

We shouldn't be opening coal mines full stop. Just a precursory glance shows many ways of steel making without coal - electric arc furnaces, 'Direct reduction' systems. Its already done and on the market.

It's highly complicated and not quite as easy as some make out (Gupta for one).  It has a part to play but alongside stronger steel from raw materials.  I'm sure many scientists are working on alternatives. R&D is huge in the steel industry so they'll get there fast if it's achievable.  But coal will be required for some time which makes this coal mine sensible. It takes weeks to get the coal on ships to the UK then it has to be stored and some of it is actually lost (eg when the wind blows).  Interesting stuff but if we need steel we need to make it and at a quality too.

No we will stick to opening the Coal mine in Whitehaven, they will welcome it and 500 well needed jobs, plus we just don't have the Electricity to use the newly mooted method, the industry has been crying out this week because of Gas price inflation, get ready for a bleak winter and power cuts, unless more Coal fire capacity is  recommissioned.

[Filo]

Not sure how many coal fired stations are left that could be recommisioned, Ferrybridge and Eggborough have gone, West Burton is due for demolision, Drax may have one coal burning unit left, the rest are biomass

[albie]

We shouldn't be opening coal mines full stop. Just a precursory glance shows many ways of steel making without coal - electric arc furnaces, 'Direct reduction' systems. Its already done and on the market.

This is the way the steel sector is going, with big investments in Germany and Spain.

The UK will have to follow suit, because investors will look to the longer term sustainability of their product.
Whitehaven coal would quickly become a "stranded asset", unable to operate effectively in a changed economy.

Even the Telegraph can see this is a white elephant;
https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1435854900559294464/photo/1

Quite embarrassing that it is even under consideration.