Cumbria coalmine redundant before it even opens, say campaigners

A pedestrian walks along the coastal path beside the proposed site of a new coalmine in Whitehaven, Cumbria. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

A new coalmine proposed for Cumbria is likely to be redundant before it even opens because the steelmakers that are its target market are moving so rapidly away from fossil fuels, analysis from green campaigners claims.

Steelmakers across Europe are moving to “green steel”, which uses renewable energy and modern techniques to avoid the need for coking coal of the type that the proposed mine in Whitehaven would produce.