ok...? Market forces are generally dominant, if it was a higher ROI for utility COs globally to use coal, they would. The ROI now favors natural gas and other alternatives. These firms have a limited amount of capital resources and investing them in non coal alternatives makes more sense.

Sure govt regulations have pushed it in that direction, but the nail in the coffin is the comparative ROI on Coal vs alternatives.

Well, someone has approved a new mine......
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55721919

Is "Coking" coal going to be suitable in BTU and price for the heritage lines to use in their steam engines?


Brian

I don't think it will, but its more the fact that a new mine has been approved by the Local Authority and the Government have decided not to interfere in the decision made.
The BBC seem to have picked this up late, as it was mentioned elsewhere a week or so ago when I did some searching around. No response from the likes of the Heritage Railway Association or other bodies as yet...

Coking coal can be used if you take advantage of the volatile gasses which boil out of the coal on its way towards converting it to coke, while at the same time using the good high carbon stuff left as coke on the grates..... or of course given enough air it might act just like coal, since coal is coked by heating in the absence of air. I'd consider overfire jets and a good draft, or GPCS. I think the original steam locomotives in the 1820s started burning coke of memory serves. The question would be how costly it might be - or if there's a lower grade than metallurgical the mine produces that would do for us they need to get rid of.