Was South Wales Once The World’s Largest Coal Exporter?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Yes, South Wales was once the world’s largest coal-exporting region and home to the busiest coal-exporting ports in the world. During its peak in 1913, the South Wales coalfield supplied almost one-third of total global coal exports, with Cardiff and Barry leading the world as the top coal ports.
Key details regarding the coal boom in South Wales:
Peak Production: In 1913, the region produced 57 million tons of coal, with more than half exported.
Top Export Ports: In 1913, Barry was recognized as the world’s largest coal-exporting port, closely followed by Cardiff.
The “Coal Metropolis”: Cardiff became the world’s leading coal and shipping metropolis, with the Cardiff Coal Exchange setting the global price for steam coal.
Economic Impact: The boom drove massive population growth in the South Wales Valleys and created tremendous wealth for cities like Cardiff, Barry, and Newport.
Global Demand: Welsh coal was highly sought after for its high quality, fueling steamships, railways, and industries across the world, from Russia to South America.
By 1920, the industry employed over 270,000 miners, but it saw a steep decline thereafter due to economic depression, international competition, and the exhaustion of accessible reserves.
Does Lack Of B12 Cause Scurf In Your Hair?
I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.
Yes, a deficiency in Vitamin B12 can contribute to poor scalp and hair health, which may manifest as scurf (dandruff/dry skin flakes) or dry, brittle hair.
While B12 is best known for its role in preventing hair loss and thinning, it plays a critical role in maintaining scalp moisture and health.
Here is how a lack of B12 can affect your hair and scalp:
Dryness and Flaking (Scurf): A deficiency can cause your hair and scalp to become dry, brittle, and flaky.
Hair Shedding: A lack of B12 can cause diffuse hair shedding or thinning, particularly because hair follicles are starved of nutrients when red blood cell production is impaired.
Premature Graying: Low B12 levels are also linked to premature whitening or graying of hair
I’ve certainly suffered from scurf at periods in my life.
Ørsted to File for Another Preliminary Injunction Against Stop-Work Order In US
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ørsted will submit a motion for a preliminary injunction against the recently imposed construction halt for its Sunrise Wind project in the US, the company said on 7 January, several days after announcing the same legal action in relation to Revolution Wind, which the developer is building through a joint venture with Skyborn Renewables.
These two paragraphs add more details.
For Sunrise Wind, Ørsted is set to file a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the lease suspension order issued by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December 2025, which will be followed by a motion for a preliminary injunction.
The company says that Sunrise Wind, being built off New York, is now nearly 45 per cent complete, with 44 of 84 monopile foundations, the offshore converter station, and nearshore export cables installed. The construction of the onshore electric infrastructure is also substantially complete, according to the developer.
It appears now that Ørsted is now involved in two injunctions, as another one that I outlined in Ørsted-Skyborn JV Takes Legal Action Against US Gov’t Over Stop-Work Order; Seven Turbines Left To Install On Revolution Wind.
It would appear that Trump is throwing good money down the drain in pursuit of his stupid vendetta against wind farms.
An Airbus A 380 On Finals At Heathrow
I realised this morning, that I needed an image of an Airbus A 380 and as I’d never flown in one, I didn’t have one.
So I went to Heathrow and took a few pictures as one does.
The aircraft was approaching on Runway 27 L.
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ABP’s New Lowestoft Facility To Support East Anglia Two & Three O&M Ops
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
UK port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) and ScottishPower Renewables have entered into a long-term agreement for supporting operations and maintenance (O&M) activities at the East Anglia Two and East Anglia Three offshore wind farms from ABP’s Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF).
These two initial paragraphs add a few more details.
Under the agreement, ScottishPower Renewables will utilise berths at LEEF for service operations vessels (SOVs) and crew transfer vessels (CTVs) that will serve the East Anglian offshore wind farms. The company already operates its East Anglia One O&M base in Lowestoft.
LEEF was officially opened by the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in January 2025, after ABP invested GBP 35 million (almost EUR 40 million) in the port infrastructure. The facility features deep-water berths, modern utilities and future-proofed infrastructure to support shore power and alternative fuels, according to the port operator.
These are some of my thoughts
How Large Are The East Anglian Wind Farms?
There are four East Anglian Wind Farms.
- East Anglian 1 – 714 MW, which was commissioned in 2020.
- East Anglian 1 North – 800 MW, which is planned to be commissioned in 2026.
- East Anglian 2 – 963 MW, which is planned to be commission in 2029.
- East Anglian 3 -1372 MW, which is planned to be commission in 2026.
That makes a total of 3849 MW.
Where Do The Cables Come Ashore?
Google AI gives this answer to the question.
The subsea export cables for the East Anglia wind farms, including East Anglia ONE, come ashore at Bawdsey in Suffolk, where they connect to onshore cables that run underground for about 23-37 km to the Bramford converter station, near Ipswich, to join the National Grid.
I know Bawdsey well from about the late 1950s until we moved my wife and I moved our family from East Suffolk to West Suffolk in the 1990s.
These posts are two memories of Bawdsey Manor and Felixstowe Ferry on the other side of Deben, that I wrote after one of my last visits to the Deben Estuary in 2009.
It hasn’t changed much over the years.
I Shall Be Going To The Opening Of Blyth Bebside Station On Sunday, the 19th October
In Railway Station Opening Date Announced, I said that Blyth Bebside station will open on October 19th.
I intend to go and add my travel times, when I book tickets.
Severe Delays At Blackwall Tunnel, Woolwich Ferry And Dartford
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Murky Depths.
These three paragraphs give more details.
There are severe delays at all crossings of the Thames between east and south east London and beyond this afternoon after a collision on the Dartford crossing.
Miles of queues are in place at the approach to the Blackwall crossing with traffic backed up for the entire length of the A2 and A102 between the M25 and Greenwich then back into east London.
Extremely long waits for the Woolwich ferry are also seen, with numerous bus routes delayed.
It appears to have been caused by a crash on the Dartford Crossing, that required extensive repairs to the road and barriers.
In 2015, I published No To Silvertown Tunnel.
Since the tunnel opened, I have written Is The Silvertown Tunnel A Silver Elephant?
I am certainly keeping an open mind, after yesterday’s article in Murky Depths.
Keely Hodgkinson On The Underground
These pictures of Keely Hodkinson are on a Northern Line platform at Moorgate station on the Underground.
Keely obviously did well out of the deal, but will Nike get a return on the money, they spent?
I’ve seen a lot of top-class athletes in my time, both on television and in the stadium, and Keely is certainly one of the best.
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A No-Washing-Up Spaghetti Carbonara
I like these Marks and Spencer’s Gluten-Free Spaghetti Carbonara and generally eat one every week.
Today’s one, was a couple of days out of date, so I though I’d cook and eat it without doing any real washing up.
These are the pictures I took.
In future would it be sensible to buy meals that need less washing up?
The Anonymous Widower 