West Cumbria Mining (WCM) wants to open a deep coal mine – the first in 30 years – on the former Marchon chemical works on the outskirts of Whitehaven, Cumbria. The mine is intended for the extraction of metallurgical or coking coal for use in the steel industry; steelmaking is a particularly challenging sector to decarbonise. WCM first put forward its proposal in 2017 and it has been approved three times by Cumbria County Council.
The plans were roundly criticised by climate scientists and campaigners as being entirely at odds with the government’s pledge to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050; an effort that will require rapid cuts in fossil fuel use, among other measures. In particular, critics drew attention to the need for the UK to establish credibility regarding decarbonisation ambitions ahead of its presidency of the UN COP26 summit in November. The UK is also co-founder of the 'Powering Past Coal Alliance': a group working to speed up the...