UK Coal Mining

Generali

For discussion of coal mining in the UK.

Some suggested ideas:

1. Should non-buyers of coal subsidise buyers of coal?
2. For how long should an industry be subsidised reasonably?
3. Do we really want to pay a subsidy for more climate change?
4. Should the closed mines be reopened?
5. At what level of digging mud rather than coal out of the ground should a mine shut?

Have fun kids!:money:

antrobus

Useful background;

The Decline of King Coal
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/resources/The%20decline%20of%20king%20coal%20-%201.pdf

Mistermeaner

Page 38
http://issuu.com/ukip/docs/theukipmanifesto2015?e=16718137/12380620

cells

How much subsidy would it need to make it viable

more or less than offshore wind power?

---

Trying to guess the figure
If offshore is recovering £100/MWh subsidy
Thats equal to about £50/ton of coal

That would probably make UK coal mining extremely profitable as the subsidy of £50/ton is more than the current Sale price

So we've shut the coal mines because its a bad idea to subsidise uk coal miners because to do so would meab the world will end and we will all be reduced to eating porridge....and its good to subsidise imported Germany wind turbines becuase its good to subsidise the Germans


there you go some mud into the water

antrobus

ggb1979 wrote: »

Page 38
http://issuu.com/ukip/docs/theukipmanifesto2015?e=16718137/12380620

Here's the pdf
http://ucrel.lancs.ac.uk/wmatrix/ukmanifestos2015/localpdf/UKIP.pdf

This is what it says;

Bearing this in mind, UKIP will:
• Set up a commission to investigate ways to assist and rejuvenate the coal industry
• Seek to secure the survival and expansion of our indigenous coal industry in the form of deep, opencast and drift mining
• Drop all subsidies for wind and solar power, to ensure a level playing field for coal
• Discontinue the carbon floor tax on the basis that production for coal fired power stations is combined with carbon capture and storage
• Halt the decline of coal power stations and seek private funding to develop new, efficient plants

But then UKIP want to repeal the Climate Change Act a well.:)

Generali

cells wrote: »

How much subsidy would it need to make it viable

more or less than offshore wind power?

1. No idea
2. You're not comparing like with like. Coal mines make coal, offshore windmills make electricity (sometimes).

cells

GeneraIi wrote: »

1. No idea
2. You're not comparing like with like. Coal mines make coal, offprobndmills make electricity (sometimes).

Well coal can be turned into electricity so whats not to compare

I figure the the offshore turbines are being subsidised to the tune of £50/ton of coal. Uk coal wpuld probably be extremely profitable at a subsidy much less than that. For example UKCoal the company was mining about 20m tona a year leas than 10 years ago. If they got half the wind sibsidy so £25/ton then they instead of about breaking even would be making £500m a year profit (and could hence expand production)

Mistermeaner

Wind turbines are crap as well, they shouldn't be subsidised and soon won't be .

Shale + nuclear + waste processing is the future

antrobus

cells wrote: »

Well coal can be turned into electricity so whats not to compare...

Even back in 1984, coal was basically only used for two things; making steel and making electricity.

cells wrote: »

...For example UKCoal the company was mining about 20m tona a year leas than 10 years ago....

In 2005 deep mines produced 10 MT, open cast 11 MT.

cells wrote: »

... If they got half the wind sibsidy so £25/ton then they instead of about breaking even would be making £500m a year profit (and could hence expand production)

Yes, but the whole point of subsidising wind energy is that it does not produce C02 emissions. Neither does it produce any of the other carp that burning coal chucks into the atmosphere.

ukcarper

[QUOTE=antrobus;68858806



Yes, but the whole point of subsidising wind energy is that it does not produce C02 emissions. Neither does it produce any of the other carp that burning coal chucks into the atmosphere.[/QUOTE]

True but it only produces energy when wind blows and with no practice way of storing that energy at the moment it's far from ideal.

lonestar1

Lets be honest, coal and oil are a finite resource. Its a no brainer to me while its cheaper to import we should do so, its a win win all round we get to exploit cheap imports and once it starts to run out and the price shoots up we cash in by extracting them locally