RE: Labour destroying British industry14 Apr 2025 10:25
1. coking coal quality:
not all coking coal is equal. for a blast furnace, you need high-quality, hard coking coal with:
low ash
low sulphur
good fluidity
high coke strength after reaction (csr)
woodhouse coal was claimed to be “high-grade metallurgical coal,” but whether it matched the specific csr and sulphur limits needed for s****horpe’s processes wasn't definitively proven in public reports.
2. blending requirements:
most steelworks don’t use coal from a single source. instead, they blend coals from different regions to meet strict requirements. even if woodhouse’s coal was good, it likely would have been a blending component, not a complete replacement for imports.
3. s****horpe’s current supply chain:
s****horpe historically imported very high-grade coking coal, including from australia, usa, and russia (before sanctions). woodhouse coal may have reduced the need for some of that, but not fully replaced it unless it matched the best international grades.