The UK contains extensive resources of coal, both at surface and in the subsurface. It is estimated that onshore these surface and subsurface deposits cover an area of approximately 40,000 km2. This dataset is derived from a 2004 study to assess the potential of the UK onshore coal resources for both exploitation by conventional (mining) and new technologies. Digital data was created using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to produce the delivered output of the original project, a series of paper maps that would identify prospective areas. The dataset layers include: Mining Technologies: Area with technical potential for opencast workings (source Coal Resource Map of Great Britain BGS/Coal Authority 1999) Underground mining exploration prospects Good prospects for abandoned mine methane (AMM) (Mine workings not recovered) Resource area for coal mine methane (CMM) (source Coal Authority Underground Licences, May 2002) Extent of underground workings with 500m buffer zone (based on Coal Authority data, May 2002) New Technologies: Area greater than 1200m from surface with potential for CO2 sequestration Area with good coalbed methane (CBM) potential Underground coal gasification (UCG) potential Coalbed methane (CBM) resource area Coal-bearing strata

This dataset provides the first map and synthesis of the temperature of Britain's coalfields. It was created to support low-temperature heat recovery, cooling and storage schemes using mine water in abandoned workings. This baseline spatial mapping and synthesis of coalfield temperatures offers significant benefit to those planning, designing and regulating heat recovery and storage in Britain's abandoned coalfields. The dataset has been developed jointly by the Coal Authority and the British Geological Survey. It is delivered as a hexgrid representing mine water blocks, identifying equilibrium mine temperatures at 10 depth intervals (100 m > 1000 m) and pumped mine temperatures at 6 depth intervals (100 m > 600 m).

Primary Geological Data resulting from Open Cast Coal exploration in British coalfield areas. Maps showing the site outlines of opencast coal prospecting sites annotated with site reference number. Sites date back to the 1940s. Outlines drawn on 1:25000 scale topographic bases. The majority of the collection was deposited with the National Geological Records Centre by the Coal Authority in July 2001.

This layer of the map based index (GeoIndex) shows the location and name of active mineral workings in the UK and is derived from the BGS BritPits (British Pits) database. The BritPits database of onshore mineral workings in the UK is based on the records of the BGS, the Coal Authority, industry sources and the Valuation Office Agency (Minerals) and is maintained by the BGS Onshore Minerals and Energy Resources Programme. The database describes individual workings, both currently active and formerly worked, in terms of name, location (including Mineral Planning Authority), ownership, basic geology, commodity produced and end-uses. Contact details including the operator name, address, postcode and telephone and fax numbers are held where known. The location of over 6000 workings are held, with about 2000 currently being worked. The data can be produced digitally, under licence, in formats to meet customer requirements, such as locations of workings or operator addresses, and is suitable for use in GIS applications using the British National Grid. Although the GeoIndex is updated at regular intervals more information may be available than is shown at any one time.

This is a collection of Opportunity Maps for mine water heat, produced for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, and their contractor AECOM, covering the following 10 cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland. Also included is a report outlining the methodology criteria for the opportunity map assessment. The dataset has been developed using Coal Authority data, consisting of Underground Workings data, and Environmental Data, and a bespoke assessment methodology. It consists of 15m x 15m square grid cells, containing attribution of Good, Possible, Challenging on the basis of the opportunity method criteria and expert input. In November 2024, the Coal Authority changed its name to the Mining Remediation Authority to better reflect its mission and continued commitment to environmental sustainability, safety, and community support.

The collection comprises photographic half plate black & white negative and 35mm colour transparency copies of plans of mine workings for haematite, gypsum, limestone, baryte and metalliferous minerals for Cumbria dating from 1872 onwards. The plans were originally deposited in compliance with the Coal and Metalliferous Mines Regulation acts. The original plans are currently held by Cumbria County Record Office on behalf of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and total about 1240 plans. No digital index is available but a paper catalogue is provided by the Health & Safety Executive. As the collection relates to plans of mines abandoned after the 1872 Act, the holdings are fairly complete after this date. Note however, that the Metalliferous Mines Act originally applied only to mines employing more than 12 men, (eg. some limestone mines). Coal Authority may hold non-coal mine plans not covered by Mine Abandonment Plan collection.

A kml file with sample locations

China has the greatest number of coal-fired power stations of any country or territory in the world. As of July 2025, there were 1,195 operational coal power plants on the Chinese Mainland. This was more than four times the number of such power stations in India, which ranked second. China accounts for over 50 percent of total global coal electricity generation. Coal phase-out worldwide Coal power plants present various health and environmental threats. Besides demanding large quantities of raw material to be burned, this energy source pollutes water and has high greenhouse gas emissions. Due to these reasons and to tackle the climate crisis, 40 countries committed to phase out their coal power plants at the COP26 summit in 2021. However, the three leading economies with the greatest number of operational coal-fired plants that year did not agree to the terms. In 2024, the global capacity of coal power plants in construction stood at 227.5 gigawatts with an additional 111.5 gigawatts announced. Carbon dioxide emissions China has been the largest coal polluter worldwide since 1990. In 2023, figures reached a record high of 8.55 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. That year, India had the second largest carbon dioxide emissions from coal use, followed by the United States. The U.S. was either the largest or second-largest polluter for 55 years, before being overtaken by India.