Yorkshire coalfield geology

What now for Coal? The Reign of King Coal 2008 - ?

Ironically, given the mass pit closures in the J31 area of the early 1990s, there could be a renaisance in coal mining in the 21st! See the book SUSTAINABLE FOSSIL FUELS, The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy, by Mark Jaccard. Re-opening the local pits would be difficult though as they were abandoned rather than mothballed, so their galleries will be flooded with water and methane, and desparately unsafe from roof collapses, etc.

But, the technology now exists to burn coal cleanly, and to bury the greenhouse gas CO2 deep underground in exhausted gas field (sequestration). So as there's certainly lots of coal still underground, then maybe one day we will see 21st century collieries replacing those closed in the 20th century? Especially when 'Peak Oil' is reached; see 'Green Issues'.

But, the technology now exists to burn coal cleanly, and to bury the greenhouse gas CO2 deep underground in exhausted gas field (sequestration). Pumping CO2 into the wells can also squeeze out the last drops of oil from them. So as there's certainly lots of coal still underground, then maybe one day we will see 21st century collieries replacing those closed in the 20th century? Especially when 'Peak Oil' is reached. An alternative way of getting at the coal is Underground Coal Gassification (UCG) - a technique where the coal is burnt below ground and the energy extracted. Oxygen and steam are forced into the coal seam and ignited, which breaks down the coal to form syngas containing hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) which can burnt on the surface to drive a turbine to release energy, water, and CO2. The big issue is that CO2 and other pollutants need to be scrubbed from exhaust, or it just becomes another polluting energy source. The solid waste stays underground, so no pit tips, and the pit head gear would look more like an oil drilling platform crossed with an electricity power station than a colliery. THe UK has the necessary precision drilling expertiese from the North Sea gas and oil field operations. The technology has been demonstrated in Russia and the US, and in operation elsewhere, but isn’t proven. If you want to know more there’s also a website dedicated to UCG. UGC may be a way of burning the thinner seams listed in the geology page.

The Hatfield colliery in South Yorkshire has restarted operations, thanks to a UK entrepreneur (Richard Budge) and his Russian backers. The Guardian newspaper seems to think that it may auger a takeover of the UK coal industry by Russian investors (UK Coal braced for Russian bid after £1bn deal with ex-chief, March 2006. It would be ironic if the rennaisance of coal in the UK because of our rising dependency on middle eastern oil and Russian gas were to result in the ownership of UK coal by Russians, while we are surrounded by wave and wind resources! Although it would be consistent with the British Government’s lack of a coherant strategic long term energy policy I suppose.