‘Fixing’ coal in Whitehaven: the affective promises of a coalmine

Abstract

This commentary explores the promises surrounding the construction of a new coalmine in Whitehaven in the UK. The impacts of the closure of carbon-heavy coal facilities increasingly feature in scholarship and policy understandings of energy transitions: illuminating the importance of the temporalities of transition. We seek to further such temporal understandings to highlight the importance of ‘futures’ in discussions of coal, which despite promises of abatement maintains a significant presence in global energy relations. We explore how the Woodhouse Colliery at Whitehaven has come to represent a series of fixes—in both socio-ecological and affective terms: promising new futures of work, energy and regional development. These futures are contested by opponents of the project, who highlight the emissions to be associated with the site. In tracing these competing futures, we illuminate the intricate ties between historic industry, present-day regional identity and economies, and the role and presence of carbon in visions of what comes next.