Soaring prices fuel initiatives to create £500m mine and re-open old pits
Written by The Telegraph
Sunday, 27 November 2005
Britain's coal industry could enjoy a resurgence with new mines created
and existing pits re-opened in an effort to tackle the country's
deepening energy crisis.
A return to coal mining on a large scale has been put forward as a way
of responding to Britain's growing demand for power and the soaring
price of natural gas.
The country's precarious energy provisions have been thrown into sharp
relief this winter with fears that gas supply will not meet demand.
And a greater reliance on coal is already being considered by the
Government, which has pumped money into "clean coal" technologies to
find ways of reducing pollution when coal is burnt.
Yesterday, Andrew Davies, the economic development minister for the
Welsh Assembly, claimed the idea could mean a new era for Britain's
mines.
He said: "We have very limited stocks of oil and gas yet we have
hundreds of years' worth of known coal reserves right on our doorstep.
--------------------------
Complete article The Telegraph
--------------------------
