UK ports were largely caught unprepared by the surge in coal imports a few years ago. Paradoxically, with major investments now in place, they could be facing a drastic decline in throughput within a decade In 2003, UK coal imports exceeded domestic production for the first time, which highlighted weaknesses in the import infrastructure from port to power station. That year, some 28.3 mt of coal was dug, split between 12.76 mt deep mined and 11.7 mt opencast, while 30.7 mt was imported.
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