The case against a new Cumbrian coal mine has entered the High Court, with the owner defending it as a “unique net zero” mine – while Friends of the Earth calls it a “zombie coal mine that would be a huge mistake for our environment, economy and international reputation”.

In December 2022, more than a year after the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicated in its net zero emissions (NZE) scenario that there was no need for “new coal mines or mine extensions”, the West Cumbria Coal Mine (or Woodhouse Colliery Mine) became the first new deep coal mine to be approved in the UK in 30 years.

The previous government granted a development consent order to West Cumbria Mining (WCM) for the development of the large underground metallurgical, or ‘coking coal’, mine at Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast.

It is estimated that, at full production, the mine would produce 2.78 million tonnes a year of coaluntil its scheduled closure in 2049. WCM said that as the coal would be used mainly for steel production...