First coal mine in decades approved, a year after UK lobbied to ‘consign coal to history’

Ministers have given the green light to a new coal mine, in a move described as “absolutely indefensible” by Lord Deben, the chairman of the government’s official climate advisers.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove waved through the plans to build the new Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria.

The decision has dismayed environmentalists, who say it will obliterate the UK’s image as a climate leader.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, called it a “climate-busting, backward-looking, business-wrecking, stranded asset coal mine,” when the country needed a “a clean, green industrial strategy fit for the future”.

Alok Sharma MP, who led the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow last year, last week called it a “backward step” for both the UK’s own climate action and its international reputation.

The approval comes one year after the UK hosted COP26, when it lobbied other countries to “consign coal to history”.

The mine could release as much climate-heating pollution as putting 200,000 extra cars on UK roads, analysis by think tank Green Alliance has found.

The long-delayed decision calls into question a pledge made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during this year’s COP27 climate conference in Egypt to make the UK a “clean energy superpower”.

It comes after years of dispute over planning, with the final decision delayed during COP27, when the government risked embarrassment on the world stage.

The developers, West Cumbria Mining, say it will be the world’s first ‘net zero’ coal mine of its kind, since they will offset the emissions from the construction phase.

The International Energy Agency, a relatively conservative energy think tank, has said no further fossil fuel projects can be built if the world is to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Earlier this year, Lord Deben, of the Climate Change Committee, branded the planned mine “absolutely indefensible.”

The colliery will not produce coal for power, but coking coal, which is used for steel-making. At least 80% is due to be exported.

Mark Jenkinson, Conservative MP for Workington, said there is “no sense in importing all of our coking coal, which would be an abdication of our climate commitments”.

The coal is expected to come on stream around 18 months after construction starts.

Both potential UK customers had said they were unlikely to use much of the coal. British Steel doubts it has the the right composition, while Tata Steel plans to shift away from coal to cleaner methods within ten years.

Friends of the Earth campaigner Tony Bosworth said the market for the mine’s coal is “already starting to evaporate with the steel industry rapidly investing in green production”.

If the coal were used domestically, it is expected to displace imports from the US and not from Russia.

West Cumbria Mining, backed by an Australian private equity group, says its new mine will create 500 local jobs.

The Local Government Association says the county of Cumbria has potential for 6,000 green jobs.

While some residents campaigned against the mine, local group We Support West Cumbria Mining welcome the jobs, new technologies and other positive impacts to the area.

West Cumbria Mining was not immediately available for comment.

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