Kellingley Colliery
Encyclopedia
Kellingley Colliery is one of the newest of the few deep coal mines left in Britain today. It is situated at Beal
in North Yorkshire
, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Knottingley
in West Yorkshire
, on the A645, although the postal address is Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Ferrybridge power station
. The siting was mainly influenced by the close proximity of road, rail and canal routes. The workings extend into West Yorkshire. The colliery is owned and operated by UK Coal
.
Exploratory boreholes sunk in the 1950s established that there were up to seven workable seams of coal at Kellingley. Sinking the two shafts started in earnest in 1960. Sandy and porous geology
down to about 600 feet (182.9 m) was waterlogged and about 36 borehole
s around each shaft position had subzero temperature brine
pumped through them which froze the ground down to about 640 feet (195.1 m). The sinking personnel then had to work in subzero temperatures until the shafts were sunk below this frozen ground. The shafts were eventually sunk to a depth of around 870 yards (795.5 m).
After a concrete lining sealed the shafts, the cooling brine
was stopped and the frozen ground allowed to thaw out. Grout
, a thin cement mixture, was then pumped, at high pressure, through holes bored through the concrete lining of the shafts, into the water bearing strata. When this set, it sealed out most of the water leaking through into the shafts and stabilized the ground around the upper part of the shafts. The pressure needed to pump in the mixture also caused the ground above to bulge up unevenly, causing the Winding Engine towers mounted above the shafts to tilt slightly. This had been anticipated and provision had been made to jack up each of the four legs that each tower stood upon. This was done regularly during this pumping phase to bring back the towers to the correct alignment. To keep the shafts to the correct alignment, plumb lines were used. Four steel lines, evenly spaced, were suspended around the inside of each shaft, all the way to the bottom of the shafts.
The colliery began production in April 1965. When planning and building the surface infrastructure for the new colliery, facilities were provided for the employment of 3,000 mineworkers but due to updated methods and machinery, only about 2,000 were ever employed there at any one time.
The Beeston Seam has been accessed as a result of a £55 million investment programme undertaken by UK Coal. It is expected to extend the life of the mine until at least 2015. Further reserves are expected to be accessible in the Silkstone Seam thereafter, which are anticipated to extend the life of the mine to 2019.
The miners took part in the 1984 miners' strike
. From March to June 2004, workers were on sporadic strike.
Miner Ian Cameron died after equipment fell on him on 18 October 2009.
On 30 November 2010, 200 workers were evacuated from the pit at Kellingley following a methane explosion underground.
On 27 September 2011 one miner was killed and another injured after an underground roof collapse.
Beal, North Yorkshire
Beal is a village and civil parish in the District of Selby in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Aire, north east of Knottingley, south west of Selby, and south of York. The parish includes the village of Kellingley, and borders the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, on the A645, although the postal address is Knottingley, West Yorkshire, and 3.6 miles (5.8 km) east of Ferrybridge power station
Ferrybridge power station
The Ferrybridge power stations refers to a series of three coal-fired power stations situated on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. The first station on the site, Ferrybridge A power station, was constructed in the mid-1920s, and was closed as the second station, Ferrybridge B power...
. The siting was mainly influenced by the close proximity of road, rail and canal routes. The workings extend into West Yorkshire. The colliery is owned and operated by UK Coal
UK Coal
UK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
History
Kellingley employs about 800 people. In March 2004, the pit received £7.2 million from the Coal Investment Aid Scheme.Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
down to about 600 feet (182.9 m) was waterlogged and about 36 borehole
Borehole
A borehole is the generalized term for any narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water or other liquid or gases , as part of a geotechnical investigation, environmental site...
s around each shaft position had subzero temperature brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
pumped through them which froze the ground down to about 640 feet (195.1 m). The sinking personnel then had to work in subzero temperatures until the shafts were sunk below this frozen ground. The shafts were eventually sunk to a depth of around 870 yards (795.5 m).
After a concrete lining sealed the shafts, the cooling brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
was stopped and the frozen ground allowed to thaw out. Grout
Grout
Grout is a construction material used to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints . Grout is generally composed of a mixture of water, cement, sand, often color tint, and sometimes fine gravel...
, a thin cement mixture, was then pumped, at high pressure, through holes bored through the concrete lining of the shafts, into the water bearing strata. When this set, it sealed out most of the water leaking through into the shafts and stabilized the ground around the upper part of the shafts. The pressure needed to pump in the mixture also caused the ground above to bulge up unevenly, causing the Winding Engine towers mounted above the shafts to tilt slightly. This had been anticipated and provision had been made to jack up each of the four legs that each tower stood upon. This was done regularly during this pumping phase to bring back the towers to the correct alignment. To keep the shafts to the correct alignment, plumb lines were used. Four steel lines, evenly spaced, were suspended around the inside of each shaft, all the way to the bottom of the shafts.
The colliery began production in April 1965. When planning and building the surface infrastructure for the new colliery, facilities were provided for the employment of 3,000 mineworkers but due to updated methods and machinery, only about 2,000 were ever employed there at any one time.
Operations
Kellingley’s two main shafts are each almost 870 yards (795.5 m) deep. One shaft is used for the conveyance of men and materials, and the second shafor the conveyance of mineral extracted from the Beeston Seam at a rate of up to 900 tonnes an hour. Kellingley supplies local power stations and also produces some housecoal quality coal; larger sized coals of higher calorific value.The Beeston Seam has been accessed as a result of a £55 million investment programme undertaken by UK Coal. It is expected to extend the life of the mine until at least 2015. Further reserves are expected to be accessible in the Silkstone Seam thereafter, which are anticipated to extend the life of the mine to 2019.
The miners took part in the 1984 miners' strike
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
. From March to June 2004, workers were on sporadic strike.
Accidents
On 30 September 2008 miner Don Cook died in a rock fall.Miner Ian Cameron died after equipment fell on him on 18 October 2009.
On 30 November 2010, 200 workers were evacuated from the pit at Kellingley following a methane explosion underground.
On 27 September 2011 one miner was killed and another injured after an underground roof collapse.