Coal as an energy resource (Reprinted from Trans. Instn Min. Metall., vol 108, 1999)

Coal has been extracted in Britain since Roman times and output reached its peak in 1913. Extraction under private ownership reached the point at whic h interaction between adjacent collieries created commercial and safety pro blems, and ownership was unified in 1942. On nationalization of the industr y in 1947 the interests of the Coal Commission, including ownership of coal , were transferred to the National Coal Board, and on privatization in 1994 the ownership of unworked coal was transferred from its successor, British Coal, to the new Coal Authority, which now licenses coalmining operations. By 1994 Britain's output had declined to 56 200 000 t/year, but, although further British coal mines have closed, applications for mining rights cont inue to be submitted, The technologies of coal-bed methane extraction and i n-seam coal gasification offer new opportunities for the future exploitatio n of coal as an energy resource.