Sourcing steam coal in the UK is a ‘private matter’
AMID concern from the heritage sector about the availability of steam coal in the UK, a Government minister has said it is a matter for the individual organisations to source.
The comment arose in a written answer on March 23 after Paul Maynard MP (Conservative, Blackpool North and Cleveleys) asked the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy what the policy is on maintaining domestic coal supplies for the heritage rail sector.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Energy and Clean Growth), (Conservative, Berwick-upon-Tweed) replied: “In line with our Net Zero target, the Government is committed to phasing out unabated coal-fired electricity generation by 2025 and recently consulted on moving this date forward to 2024. This policy applies to coal-fired power stations only – it does not apply to other coal consumers, such as heritage railways.
“Although coal will soon no longer be part of our electricity system, it will continue to be used as a fuel by a wide range of other industries, such as the iron, steel and cement industries. We are confident that heritage railways will continue to have the option to tap into this significant domestic market. The decision on where to source coal for use in heritage railways and other industries is a private matter for the companies involved.”
Policy
Meanwhile, Liz Saville Roberts, the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, has warned that a new Welsh Government policy intending to end the extraction and use of coal in Wales risks the future of the country’s heritage railways.
Commenting on the policy statement, published on March 22, the Plaid Cymru MP – who is chairman of the AllParty Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail and has called for specific exemptions to the use of coal for the industry – said: “There needs to be greater scrutiny in policy formation by Welsh Government to ensure that it is properly thought through before being implemented.
“The policy as it is makes no mention of heritage railways, or indeed other heritage transport such as traction engines, steam lorries or steamboats. However, it does acknowledge that, in exceptional circumstances, further extraction could be permitted on a case by case basis.
“The crisis for heritage railways and tourism can only be averted if Welsh heritage railways are treated as exceptional, both for coal extraction and burning.”