coal. where is it mined?

[magnetman]

I was discussing coal with her below decks and we got to wondering where the original product is mined. we burn homefire

 

i've got a feeling it might be chinese origin, but I don't know and not sure if it is marked I haven't looked carefully at a bag, yet.

[nb celestine]

I was discussing coal with her below decks and we got to wondering where the original product is mined. we burn homefire

 

i've got a feeling it might be chinese origin, but I don't know and not sure if it is marked I haven't looked carefully at a bag, yet.

 

Send an email to a one M Thatcher. Ask her. She will tell you that it is not mined at Horden, Easington, or Westoe collieries.

[magnetman]

so we've still got some coal in our own country when we get a REAL energy crisis

 

might be handy one day innit

Edited March 22, 2013 by magnetman

[Athy]

Yes, some mining still takes place in the UK, though nowhere near as much as 30 years ago. There are (a retired miner told me recently) just two working pits in South Wales, which used to have dozens if not hundreds of them. I think a few in the East Midlands are still working, though some are opencast rather than deep mines. Not sure about Yorkshire or Scotland, both of which used to have numerous pits.

Coal is (or was a few years ago) imported from Poland. I can't imagine it coming all the way from China - surely the cost of transporting what is after all a very heavy commodity all that way would be prohibitive?

 

EDIT: I think that one of the East Midlands opencast operations is on the site of the abandoned section of the Ashby Canal, and the ciontract calls for the mining company to rebuild the line of the canal once they have extracted the coal. But I may have to stand corrected on this point.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Athy

[Nickhlx]

..... surely the cost of transporting ....

On coal-fired superships ?

 

Nick

[BargeeSpud]

Send an email to a one M Thatcher. Ask her. She will tell you that it is not mined at Horden, Easington, or Westoe collieries.

You'd get a better answer by emailing one A. Scargill & asking him & his marxist union mates why they waged a class war designed solely to destroy British industry.

[andywatson]

We have about 80 to 100 years worth of coal still in the ground.

The problem is that the mines were not closed so as to allow easy re-entry and new shaft sinking is prohibitively expensive.

Blame Mrs Thatcher or Mr Scargill for that depending on your point of view.

 

Also, and this is crucial:

The main market for coal and where it can be best burned most efficiently is in bulk at a coal fired power station.

The UK governement of the day signed a binding document to close the UK coal fired stations in the near future.

That is despite India and China banging them up and the upcoming energy shortage.

You can pin that one on Mr Milliband.

Edited March 22, 2013 by andywatson

[Athy]

Popcorn......get yer popcorn.......

[dove]

You'd get a better answer by emailing one A. Scargill & asking him & his marxist union mates why they waged a class war designed solely to destroy British industry.

 

Totally agree

 

Andrew

[Jambo]

It comes from Russia, Colombia, USA and Australia (plus some small scale imports from other countries) and amounted to 32.6Mt of imports in 2011. We produced 4.3Mt in the UK in 2011. Data comes from DECC

 

As for where the stuff burnt in stoves comes from I'm afraid I don't know. Would be interesting to find out though.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Jambo

[pearley]

The radio today said that it was the last day for Didcot power station. If so, that's a huge loss of generation just as the weather's gone cold again.

 

When we were moored in Doncaster last winter, Kellingley, Hatfield, Maltby and Harworth were still operating. The last two can easily be seen from a large part of the Chesterfield with their distinctive towers.

 

Selby coal field with supposedly 300 years of coal, was shut in 2002/4. I think that was under the Socialists.

 

Regards

Pete

[Ray T]

Coal was mined at Daw Mill until the underground fire a couple of weeks ago.

 

The future of the pit is now sealed.

[BargeeSpud]

Totally agree

 

Andrew

Thank you. Blaming Thatcher for decades of militant actions & weak management of nationalised industries is too simplistic.

 

That's the last I'm going to say about it, this thread is meant to be answering the OP's question, not starting a political cat fight.

[onionbargee]

Send an email to a one M Thatcher. Ask her. She will tell you that it is not mined at Horden, Easington, or Westoe collieries.

no ones stopping anyone mining it in the uk, if you want to pay 20 pound a bag for it?

[Grace and Favour]

We burn mostly 'Black Diamond' anthracite, mined in Wales by Celtic Fuels Ltd, (linky)

[onionbargee]

strange that that shreaded wheat haired commie Arthur Scargill put the curse on our mines, and now we import a alot of our coal from Russia ! maybe he couldn't stand burning filthy capitalist coal in his grate ?

[jelunga]

Send an email to a one M Thatcher. Ask her. She will tell you that it is not mined at Horden, Easington, or Westoe collieries.

I remember Westoe Colliery. Went to College near by. 1969

[Graham Davis]

There are more than 2 actual "shaft" mines in South Wales, but all are small enterprises, and I think all drift mines. There is a large open-cast mine above Merthyr.

There are at least 2 small mines producing a small amount of coal in the Forest of Dean. Most appears to be sold in the Forest for domestic purposes.

[Jo_]

Thoresby Deep Mine in Nottinghamshsire is still going .... it was on the news only a couple of days ago because subsisdence had opened a 50ft long crack across the A1 just near Ollerton and the road's closed while they sort it.

[Athy]

Thanks for the local info, Graham. I am not sure whether to be sad that so few pits remain in your part of the world, or pleased that thousands of men don't have to do that dangerous and dirty job any more. Bit of both, I suppose.

[onionbargee]

Thanks for the local info, Graham. I am not sure whether to be sad that so few pits remain in your part of the world, or pleased that thousands of men don't have to do that dangerous and dirty job any more. Bit of both, I suppose.

 

They do have to, but now they're in other countries, where there's even less safety !

[Athy]

They do have to, but now they're in other countries, where there's even less safety !

Good point, Mr. Onion.

[nbfiresprite]

 

[davidc]

thanks to maggie we no longer have any coal mines in northumbland, but we are cursed with

open cast mines which are a blott on the landscape.

 

http://wikimapia.org/3650986/Stobswood-Opencast-Coal-Mine-Northumberland

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2010/12/09/northumberland-residents-anger-over-opencast-mines-61634-27793716/

[alan_fincher]

I was discussing coal with her below decks and we got to wondering where the original product is mined. we burn homefire

 

i've got a feeling it might be chinese origin, but I don't know and not sure if it is marked I haven't looked carefully at a bag, yet.

 

Coal is (or was a few years ago) imported from Poland. I can't imagine it coming all the way from China - surely the cost of transporting what is after all a very heavy commodity all that way would be prohibitive?

Actually by far the largest amount of imported coal (about 55%) comes from Russia.

 

We also import heavily from South Africa, Columbia, and, I believe the USA, so distances it travels can be really quite large!