Why coal is the best energy source for Britain

A yeAr ago, 60 U.S. scientists sent the then energy Secretary ed Davey a letter urging him to halt the environmental damage caused by felling north American trees, so they could be ground into wood pellets to be burnt in Britain’s Drax power station. Drax claims its wood-burners save two million tonnes of carbon a year compared with previous coalburners. But Carbon Capture claims clean-coal technology (the White rose project) at Drax will also save two million tonnes of carbon per year. So burning wood pellets actually produces more emissions due to all the pollution from the hundreds of annual shipments across the Atlantic. Britain should use its own vast coal reserves, extracted by our miners, to be independent when it comes to energy. But Britain has sold out to the theories of ‘green’ energy zealots, to russia and Colombia for coal, to Canada for wood pellets and to electricity from france. We have placed ourselves at the mercy of foreign supplies — unbelievable when we have such vast reserves and the technology to use it cleanly.

BARRIE FROST, Filey, e. Yorks.

RATHER than coming out with yet another bland statement of policy, shouldn’t Energy Minister Amber Rudd address rather more pertinent questions? As this country has never been self-sufficient in natural gas supplies, who does she plan to buy it from? A lot of Europe’s natural gas comes from Russia. One turn of the switch by Mr Putin would have a very serious effect on this country’s energy needs. We produce 5 per cent of the world’s pollution, yet China, a much bigger polluter, is building a new coalfired power station every week. Why should we be energy martyrs? We are sitting on 200 years’ of coal supplies. Surely, someone can develop equipment that would reduce most, if not all, of the toxic waste coming from our coal-fired power stations.

colin DAVIS, Woodchurch, kent.