Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) importing coal from overseas and (b) mining coal in the UK on the environment.

On 14th November 2024 the Government announced its intention to restrict the licensing of new coal mines: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-14/hcws215

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the environmental impact of mining coal domestically set against importing product from overseas but notes that imports fell 45 per cent in comparison with 2022 to 3.4 million tonnes in 2023. This is a trend expected to continue following the closure of the last coal fired power station at the end of September, which reduced coal’s contribution to UK electricity supply to 0%’.