Kellingley Colliery closes
Published by Angharad Lock,
Digital Assistant Editor
World Coal,
Miners at the UK’s last deep coal mine, Kellingley Colliery, will end their final shift on Friday 18th December, leaving behind an estimated 30 million t of recoverable coal. At its peak the mine had over 2000 workers. The closure follows that of Thoresby in Nottinghamshire.
Chris Kitchen, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), commented: "I am sure people will argue not burning coal is better for the environment, but as far as I am concerned this is another vindictive act".
Shaun McLoughlin, the mine’s Manager, said: “It’s very sad and disappointing, but we are just not economic any more when it comes to competing with cheap international coal. It’s a whole way of life we are losing for ourselves and the wider community that goes with the mine. I don’t blame UK Coal, or the government, it’s just the free market and rock-bottom commodity prices.”
Sources: BloombergBusiness, BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph
Edited from various sources by Angharad Lock
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/18122015/kellingley-colliery-yorkshire-closes-3313/
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