Some more mining news from the BBC...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7607205.stm 

Miners dig deep for bright future

A new generation of miners are being trained to work in a South Yorkshire pit two decades after most of the UK industry went into decline.

Hatfield Colliery, near Doncaster, which closed in 1994 when the coal industry was privatised, is taking on apprentices to work in the pit.

Rising prices of coal and other forms of energy on world markets have made mining a realistic prospect again.

Hatfield's owner Richard Budge spent £110m on bringing the pit back to life.

Howard Saunders has worked at the colliery on and off for 20 years and his son Jack is working there.

Mr Saunders said: "I never thought I would see Jack here, but Hatfield's going to be a success story for all the lads in the village and the surrounding areas.

"Even for the lads who've travelled from far away, all they want to do is work."

Jack Howard drives the underground trains, taking materials and colleagues to the coal face half-a-mile from the pit shaft.

He said: "I'd never get an opportunity like this anywhere else. Four of my family members are working here, my granddad's worked here, my granddad's dad worked here so I'm the fifth generation."

Four years ago the pit was closed, its future uncertain, but since then the price of coal has more than doubled, making Hatfield economically viable again.

Richard Budge, the mine's owner, said: "The price of coal started to lift up on the back of oil prices.

"Coal is in demand through China and India and the growth is so rapid that's what's really driving the price - it's not so much domestic electricity prices.

"At the current price of coal we'd be working twice as far as we are now from the pit bottom."

Mr Budge added that if there was any guarantee about the future then mining would return as a prospering industry once again.

"If coal prices stayed where they are today, around just under $200 a tonne, you could actually start sinking new mines - and there are locations where that could be done."

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The new era? 🙂

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Good stuff. According to a book I have here, the UK reserves are in the order of 190B tonnes. I imagine a fair degree of that will be sterile for a while yet. Still, it's a huge amount.

It's a bloody good job that the earth's temperature seems to be independent of CO2 otherwise we would see a horrible disaster in the coming years.

I would say that due to China and India coming online coal demand will go right up. Depsite the best efforts of the W World to tax us into a carbon whiskerprint, you can bet that the UK will be selling it and if we don't burn it, you can bet who will.

I have no problems with CO2 as I don't think it's a problem but other countries without sulphur scrubbing will damage the environment.

Funnily enough, I think in the longish scheme of things, we will see a return to a decent industrial nation after the "easies" have got most of their resources out.

Still, India and China have almighty reserves, but they also have almighty demand.

I suppose you have to consider the knock on effect of the materials...... I doubt any headgears will have "made in china" written on them....but you never know.

Good for them!