Where has all the coal gone?

[BrilloPad]

BBC News - UK's oil, coal and gas 'gone in five years'

In just over five years Britain will have run out of oil, coal and gas, researchers have warned.
A report by the Global Sustainability Institute said shortages would increase dependency on Norway, Qatar and Russia.

I thought there was about 300 years of coal underground? Have people been using it to blacken up for musicals?

Thankfully none of the states we will become dependent on are politically unstable so thats okay then.

[DodgyAgent]

Coal Is The New Black Gold Under The North Sea | The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF)

Scientists have discovered vast deposits of coal lying under the North Sea, potentially holding enough energy to power Britain for centuries.
They have studied data, from seismic tests and boreholes, collected all over the North Sea for oil and gas exploration, but instead used it to build a picture of coal deposits.

The work revealed that the sea bed holds up to 20 layers of coal extending from Britain’s northeast coast far out under the sea — and that much of it could be reached with the technologies already in use to extract oil and gas.

Looks like we will just have to don our snorkels and spades and get digging

[tomtomagain]

That of course is complete nonsense.

There are still fields in the North Sea to exploit.

For example Clair Ridge. Clair oilfield - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From BP's web site:

"The Clair Ridge development will have the capability to produce an estimated 640 million barrels of oil over a 40 year period, with peak production expected to be up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

[VectraMan]

Don't we have 300 years worth of gas ready to frak? If only they'd GET ON WITH IT, we could be supplying gas to half of Europe and then the EU might dare stand up to Mr Putin.

[OwlHoot]

The work revealed that the sea bed holds up to 20 layers of coal extending from Britain’s northeast coast far out under the sea — and that much of it could be reached with the technologies already in use to extract oil and gas ...

North east? Isn't that somewhere round Scotland?!

Sounds like the upcoming referendum may need postponing for 20 years or so, until we've finished helping ourselves to all that lovely coal

[Smartie]

rubbish

It's rubbish. There's plenty of coal in the UK under the mines that were closed in the eighties - more than 50 in Yorkshire alone. There are only a handful still operating across the whole UK now.
Whether it's cost effective to rebuild the collieries and find employees is another matter - highly unlikely at the moment.

[psychocandy]

Plenty underneath the welsh valleys too. Probably inaccessible now due to the mines being closed and filled in. #oops

[BrilloPad]

Plenty underneath the welsh valleys too. Probably inaccessible now due to the mines being closed and filled in. #oops

The problem with re-opening the Welsh coal mines is putting up with all the singing.

[minestrone]

North east? Isn't that somewhere round Scotland?!

Sounds like the upcoming referendum may need postponing for 20 years or so, until we've finished helping ourselves to all that lovely coal

[Batcher]

North east? Isn't that somewhere round Scotland?!

Sounds like the upcoming referendum may need postponing for 20 years or so, until we've finished helping ourselves to all that lovely coal

I think you've hit on the reason that Westminster thinks Scotland should stay in the union