Get a coal mining licence or other consent

Contents

1. Coal mining operations which require a licence
2. Coal mining licence applications
3. Other activities which require a consent
4. Coal Authority and shale gas exploration
5. Apply for a licence or other consent

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You will need a licence for coal mining operations or another consent for any activity which enters or passes through the Coal Authority's property.

Coal mining operations which require a licence

You will need a licence for

• surface coal mining
• underground coal mining
• underground coal gasification

It's an offence to carry out coal mining operations without a licence.

Coal mining licence applications

View coal mining licence applications

View Coal Authority licences and agreements

Other activities which require a consent

• deep energy boreholes
• exploitation of coal methane
• exploration for coal
• incidental coal which needs to be removed as part of a development
• mine water heat recovery

Coal Authority and shale gas exploration

The Coal Authority does not grant licences for shale gas exploration.

The regulatory body for hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is the Oil and Gas Authority.

In the event that any proposed drilling passes through coal deposits or workings within Great Britain, then the Coal Authority, as the owner of these, will need to be approached for permission.

Typically, this will take the form of a deep energy borehole access agreement.

View the guidance notes and application form for a deep energy borehole access agreement

View the guidance document on fracking: developing Shale Gas in the UK

Apply for a licence or other consent

To apply for a licence or other consent you will need to:

• download the relevant application form, model documents and guidance notes
• email or post your application to the Coal Authority's Licensing Office
• pay the appropriate fee by credit card or direct bank transfer.

Published 9 October 2014
Last updated 6 July 2021 + show all updates

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