Quote of the day 12th September 2020

"It’s important to understand the distinction between both proposals. 

Banks would have been mining for coal which was initially intended to go to English power stations – which are closing. It was not a mine for the high grade metallurgical coal used to make steel. 

WCM’s proposal is for a deep mine on a brownfield site. The Banks plan was for an opencast mine in a site without previous industrial activity. 

Therefore the comparisons being made are not accurate or relevant, we have national and international demand for coking coal for the steel industry and therefore WCM continues to have a very strong business case."

(Trudy Harrison MP explains why the enormously environmentally damaging Banks Mining plan for an open cast coal mine at Druridge in the North East, for coal to be used in power stations, which was rightly rejected by Robert Jenrick MP, is a very different proposal from the West Cumbria Mining application for a deep coal mine off St Bees to produce metallurgical coal for use making steel.)

Comments

Gary Bullivant said…
That little word "initially" renders the first comparison redundant. As I observed below, Banks subsequently argued that 90% of the coal was suitable for industrial use with much of the remaining 10% going to the UK domestic and heritage market. WCM are intending to export the majority of their output - their words not mine, so to speak.

It is true that WCM's surface facilities are, largely, on the Marchon brownfield site but not all of it of course. As for comparing (and contrasting) not being relevant, the effort being applied to put that view forward suggests just the opposite.

Anyone wanting to draw their own conclusions should read the ruling, which is open to appeal. A thought might also be spared for the Banks employees who will now be made redundant if they can't be redeployed to the renewables part of the Banks Group.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914860/Combined_DL_IR_R_to_C_Highthorn.pdf
9:28 am
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