The UK government has refused planning permission for the Druridge Bay opencast coal mine near the Northumberland coast (United Kingdom). The mining project, developed by the Banks Group, would have produced 3 Mt of coal. The original application was submitted in October 2015 and rejected in October 2018.
In August 2020, the Banks Group stopped extracting coal from the Bradley surface coal mine near Dipton, County Durham (United Kingdom), after plans for an extension were rejected in July 2020 by the Durham County Council. The mine opened in 2018 to produce 500,000 t of coal, with approximately 340,000 t collected. The company pledged to rehabilitate the land by August 2021.
In 2019, the United Kingdom produced 2.2 Mt of coal. Coal production declined by almost 90% since 2011. Deep mined coal production ceased in 2016. UK Coal closed its last mine, the Kellingley deep coal mine, in 2015. The country intends to phase out coal-fired power generation by end-2024.