Light at end of tunnel for British coal-mining industry

With lights twinkling brightly from their helmets, a group of miners emerge caked in dust from a deep coal-mine in the village of Cwmgwrach in south Wales.

The reopening of Cwmgwrach (pronounced Kumrak) marks a much-needed glimmer of hope for Britain’s mining sector, which has been blighted by social and economic problems since the 1980s.

After 60 years of decline, the industry has been shaken up by technology which has slashed energy wasted in the coal-mining process — while also cutting carbon dioxide emmissions.
With a growing global consensus emerging over the catastrophic threat of global warming, coal mining has witnessed something of a renaissance.

Added to the picture, rising coal prices and rampant Chinese demand — alongside dwindling British gas and oil reserves in the North Sea — have sparked new interest in coal.

“The future looks brighter for coal than it has for at least two decades,” said Iain McMenemy, a spokesman for Scottish Coal.

“Demand has increased in the UK — coal now produces about 50 percent of our electricity, up from 30 percent a few years ago.”

Turkish Press