Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The decision of the Secretary of State, which is supported by the Planning Inspector following on from last year’s planning inquiry, means the project will move forward to deliver the “world’s first net-zero mine” according to the mine owners.

The decision has been argued over for the last two years after the local county council initially approved the mine in 2020, the decision was then suspended in early 2021, and now has the go ahead.

It is opposed by several climate campaigning groups and advisors, including the chairman of Climate Change Committee and former COP President Alok Sharma. However, it has been promised that the carbon emissions "would be relatively neutral and not significant".

West Cumbria Mining says the coking coal produced at the mine will be used for steelmaking in the UK and Europe.

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