Energy

The complete abandonment of Coal & its bi product Methane Gas as the primary source of Energy for Industry without a viable alternative in place has added to the spiralling cost of both industrial production and living. We now have the highest energy costs in the world resulting in a crippling effect on the economy. 

Coal: Ferrybridge Closed March 2016 2000MW: Output not replaced. This was the last remaining Coal Fired Power Station.

Nuclear: Hartlepool due to close 2027 1300MW, Heysham 1 (closure due 2027 1200MW & 2 (closure due 2030 1250MW). No existing plans to replace output. It currently takes circa 20 years to build a Nuclear Power Plant at a cost of around £50 billion.  

Natural Gas: Carrington 0.91 GW, no current closure plans. Keadby 0.74 GW, no current closure plans. Rocksavage 0.81 GW, no current plans for closure. Saltend 1.20GW, no current plans for closure. South Humber Bank 1.37 GW, no current plans for closure. VPI Immingham 1.25GW , no current plans for closure.

Biofuels: Ferrybridge has the largest output at 79MW.

Waste: Runcorn EfW has the largest output at 81MW.

Geothermal Energy 

1. Cheshire and East Yorkshire still at exploration stage for potential Deep Geothermal Energy production. 
2. Seaham Garden Village: Construction has begun on a mine water heat project, building on the Mining Remediation Authority's ongoing efforts to harness geothermal heat from the Dawdon disused coal mine. Vital Energi has been appointed to design, build and operate the low-carbon system.
3. Geothermal UK, June2025: New Coalition created to promote and unlock geothermal energy potential.

Natural Resources

Natural Gas:

Morecambe Bay: Two natural gas fields in the Irish Sea, owned by Hydrocarbons GB Limited, British Gas E&P Ltd, Centrica plc, Spirit Energy, production to continue until 2030.

Central North Sea: Viaro Energy currently holds non operating interests in 6 fields. Current Gas field due to close 2028.

Fertilizer:  Polyhalite & Ammonium Nitrate 

Woodsmith, North Yorkshire, owned by Anglo American Crop Nutrients Ltd, hopes to start production of Polyhalite (Fertilizer) 2030. £226 million is due to be spent this year 2025 on both Tunnelling & Shaft schemes. 

Boulby, North Yorkshire, owned by Israel Chemicals Limited and currently produces Polyhalite. View mock underground rescue on YouTube.

CF Fertilizers, at Ince near Ellesmere Port, closed in 2022. Billingham Plant still operational producing 1 million tons of Ammonium Nitrate a year.

Salt

Boulby, North Yorkshire, owned by Israel Chemicals Limited and currently produces circa 350,000 tonnes of Rock Salt per annum.

Winsford, Cheshire, owned by Compass Minerals UK and currently produces Rock Salt.

Coking Coal

Woodhouse Colliery, Whitehaven (previous economic Seam closed 1986) owned by West Cumbria Mining Ltd potentially could produce Coking Coal for the Steel Industry. Planning permission refused by the High Court in London 2024. The previous Seam took circa 10 years to bring to production status. 1.04 Billion tonnes of Coking Coal produced worldwide in 2022.

http://lancashireminingmuseum.org

Coal (Anthracite)

Ayle Colliery, Cumbria. 395 tonnes per month-7 No Professional Miners, work and maintain this commercial operation.

https://thelastpit.simdif.com

Lithium

Weardale, Co Durham, owned by Northern Lithium Limited and could potentially produce economically viable Lithium. The Church Commissioners have granted Mineral rights to Northern Lithium. Evolve Ltd have successfully trialled the 'Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)' process proving that Lithium extraction is commercially viable. £2.5 million is now required to fund the next phase of commercial development work 2026 & 2027. 

Weardale Lithium, Eastgate, Stanhope: Lithium extraction plant (processing Lithium brine) given the go ahead.

Article at https://insideminingmag.com/northern-lithium/

Gypsum  

Long Marton, Appleby in Westmorland, owned by Saint-Gobain, currently produces Gypsum for Plasterboard Manufacture.

Iron Ore

Florence Mine, Egremont, West Cumbria, Iron Ore production stopped in 1980, due to costs relating to pumping/production. Ore from the mine supplied Moss Bay Steelworks in Workington which produced Train Track Rails, closed 2006. 

Shale Gas

No production currently exists due to subsidence & other environmental concerns.  

Gas Storage

Two Northern sites have been identified for potential onshore hydrogen storage: The Fordon Evaporite Formation of East Yorkshire, incorporating the Humber (Permian) and the Northwich Halite member of the Cheshire Basin (Triassic).  

Slate

Honister (Cumbria) is the last working Slate mine and offers underground tours. 

 https://honisterslate.com

Graphite 

The Yew Tree Pub at Seatoller, Cumbria has roots in the areas Graphite mining traditions. The last mine closed 1891. Visit the Derwent Pencil Museum, Kendal for further info. Pencil production continues at Workington, Cumbria.  

http://www.derwentart.com