Deep and surface mining coal production in the United Kingdom (UK) 1970-2021

The volume of coal produced in the United Kingdom has fallen considerably since 1970. In that year, 136.6 million metric tons was produced from deep mining alone, but by 2017 UK production volumes had fallen to a record low of 20 metric tons. Surface mining overtook deep mining as the most productive coal mining type in the UK by 2005. In 2021, some 960,000 tons of coal were retrieved through surface mining.

Death of an industry

As production has decreased, so have the number of operational coal mines in the UK. In 2000, deep mine numbers stood at 33, but 21 years later this number had fallen to just four. This in turn has affected UK coal mining employment numbers. Historically the coal industry has been a major powerhouse of the UK’s economy, employing more than one million individuals in 1920. By 2021 the number of employees was less than 500, showing a shift away from the fossil fuel.

Coal in the energy mix

The reliance on coal in the UK’s energy mix has plummeted. In 2020, only 5.5 terawatt hours of electricity were generated using coal-fired power stations, accounting for 1.8 percent of all electricity generated that year. In May 2019, Britain went one week without coal power, the first time this had happened since 1882.