Unions demand increased commitment to clean coal

The NUM mining union hosted a “clean coal” conference last month, aimed at making the industry reduce its carbon dioxide emissions.

Topics discussed by the 100-plus delegates, representing organisations from fellow trade unions to major energy suppliers such as E-on, included funding opportunities and the state of technology for carbon capture and storage.

NUM president Ian Lavery told Workplace Report that the conference was a “tremendous success”. Far from being a “spent force”, he said, the coal industry still provides the largest share of power for the UK’s electricity generation (37%) and is the biggest global source of fossil fuels.

Lavery added that, if global carbon emissions are to be cut, clean coal must be part of the solution – but both governments and private investors have so far shown a lack of commitment. He warned that such a vital technology should not be left to the “vagaries of the free market”.

These concerns were echoed by Doug Rooney, national officer for energy at technical and professional union Amicus (now part of Unite), who added that financial support is also urgently needed for the reopened Hatfield Main Colliery in Yorkshire, “where 100 million tonnes of reserves are ready to be exploited by using clean coal technology”.