However, at least two UK steel-makers have ruled out using coal from the Cumbrian mine, and steel-makers across Europe are increasingly turning to low-carbon steel-making techniques, such as electric arc furnaces with energy from windfarms and other renewable sources.

That means the market for such coal is likely to be limited. The coal is also expected to be high in sulphur and therefore liable to be rejected even by steel-makers still using coal.

About 83% of the coal produced from the mine would be for export, according to estimates, which would add to global greenhouse gas emissions.

So a pointless mine - just to hasten climate collapse

However, at least two UK steel-makers have ruled out using coal from the Cumbrian mine, and steel-makers across Europe are increasingly turning to low-carbon steel-making techniques, such as electric arc furnaces with energy from windfarms and other renewable sources.

That means the market for such coal is likely to be limited. The coal is also expected to be high in sulphur and therefore liable to be rejected even by steel-makers still using coal.

About 83% of the coal produced from the mine would be for export, according to estimates, which would add to global greenhouse gas emissions.

So a pointless mine - just to hasten climate collapse

we are still importing about 2 million tonnes of coking coal into the UK a year at the moment.  Longer tern reducing the need for it and not just offshoring our emissions by importing steel from less fussy places would be good.

Right now what the Friends of the Earth fail to mention is that "only" about 70% of steel production worldwide uses the coke process and 30% is electric arc - which is of most use with reprocessing scrap steel which conducts electricity well, rather than original mined ore which is more or less insulating in comparison. It rather depends how long the mine will be used for. Early estimates suggested that the mine is forecast to produce a total of 65 million tonnes of coal over its lifetime - about 35 -40 years of UK use if we used it slowly and kept it all for ourselves.

Inside a blast furnace, carbon chemically removes oxygen from the iron oxide in the ore to create crude iron and CO2. Burning coke also raises the temperature to 2000°C or more, allowing molten iron to be tapped from the bottom of the furnace. Finally, a low percentage of carbon in the iron strengthens the metal, helping it to become steel. It is possible to use methane (natural gas or LNG) instead but the CO2 created per tonne of steel is reduced but  not as vastly different as you may hope as you need more of it...

if yo uuse the carbon as carbon for something else without burning it then of course no CO2 is released.
It is not clear cut.

Mike