Damian Hinds
Conservative, East Hampshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the amount of surface or near-surface coal available in the UK; and what assessment he has made of its potential contribution to meeting the UK's energy needs.
Charles Hendry
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change
The following table provides a breakdown of identified surface coal reserves in the UK.
| Million tonnes | |
| Current sites and licences | |
| Operational sites | 40 |
| Planning granted | 18 |
| In planning process | 20 |
| Pre-planning | 54 |
| Prospects previously identified by British Coal | |
| Well developed | 121 |
| Fully and partly proved | 142 |
| Potential | 474 |
| Total | 869 |
| Source: The Coal Authority, March 2010 | |
The Government's main policy objective in relation to the coal industry is to ensure that the United Kingdom is enabled to make best use of a valuable natural resource where it is economically viable and environmentally acceptable to do so.
In 2009 coal provided 28% of the UK's electricity supply.
Source:
Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2010, Department of Energy and Climate Change.
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