London: Britain's Banks Mining will challenge the government's decision to reject its application to develop a new coal mine in northeastern England, the company said on Wednesday.Northumberland County Council agreed last year that the mine's developer, Banks Mining, a division of The Banks Group, could extract 3 million tonnes of coal by cutting an open cast, or surface mine, near Druridge Bay, Highthorn.
But local government minister Sajid Javid rejected the application last month following a public inquiry, saying the proposal could hamper the country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb climate change.
The decision "could have far-reaching, unintended consequences for all hydrocarbon extraction industries such as coal, gas and oil, including the shale gas industry," Banks Mining Managing Director Gavin Styles said in an emailed statement.
Styles said the company would lodge a legal challenge against the decision with Britain's High Court, and seek a decision as soon as possible.
Environmentalists had criticised the plans, saying the mine would destroy an area of natural beauty and that extracting more coal is at odds with international pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate pact.
Supporters of the project had said it could bring much needed jobs to the region, and help to reduce Britain's reliance on coal imports.
Britain plans to close all coal-fired power stations by 2025 unless they are fitted with technology to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions, as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gases by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050.