The goal of
coal mining is to obtain
coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and, since the 1880s, has been widely used to generate electricity.
Steel and
cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from
iron ore and for cement production. In the
United States,
United Kingdom, and
South Africa, a coal mine and its structures are a
colliery. In
Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine.