Coal in the UK

£200m fight to reopen pit

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GEOLOGISTS have given plans for the reopening of Harworth Colliery their backing - but UK Coal must still find £200 million to pay for it.
Bosses at the site near Doncaster today confirmed a seismic study of the top hard coal seam below the colliery was suitable for development - and was even thicker than originally believed.

The test follows the drilling of 900 metre deep bore holes along the surface.

Now the firm has started talks with the European Investment Bank while officials from the EU organisation have already met with company bosses at their Harworth headquarters to try to fix a loan.

The company is hoping the bank could lend up to half the total cost of the scheme, but first officials are asking for assurances that there is a market for the coal with acceptable green credentials. The company has to show it can find buyers who can mitigate carbon emissions.

UK Coal believes the re-opening of the colliery, which was mothballed in June 2006, would create about 500 jobs on the site.

Spokesman Stuart Oliver said: “In terms of the mining prospects, the evidence is as positive as it could be. The meeting with the EIB threw up issues that they wanted clarification on, and there is now ongoing dialogue with the bank with a view to a decision being reached this autumn on availability of EIB funding. But if the EIB comes up with the maximum allowed under their rules of half the capital cost, we still have to raise the other £100 million from additional financial markets, so there is still a long way to go.”

Some of the cash needed to bankroll the project is expected to be raised by redevelopment of parts of the colliery site which would not be needed under the future mining plans.

Proposals for the development are due to go on public display at Harworth and Bircotes Parish Hall on Scrooby Road on Thursday June 18.

From the Star

More opencasts on the way - fear

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A PROTEST group campaigning against opencast mine plans in Measham has said similar applications could be submitted across the district because of missing information.

The Minorca Opencast Protest Group (MOPG) says vital information concerning the locations of the shallow coal field across part of North West Leicestershire is missing and could give rise to further applications.

The group says that the information from the Strategy for Growth and Change Further Consultation document is vital for new homeowners as it would show possible locations of coal fields.

MOPG chairman Steve Leary said that if areas west of Ibstock became ‘zoned’ for development then the first application potential buyers saw could be for an opencast coal mine.

He said: “This may happen because if this land overlies the shallow coalfield and it is going to be developed anyway, then national and county council planning guidelines would suggest that an applicant would have some preference over local feelings on the subject.

“This would be because preference is given to plans which would prevent access to this coal being lost forever as a consequence of the development.”

However, the group say that because information about the extent of the shallow coalfield is missing, residents do not know how much of a risk this is.

Measham residents are currently fighting against a future application to be submitted by UK Coal to mine 1.25 million tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of clay at the Minorca site, off Gallows Lane.

The plans have received criticism from nearby residents expressing fears about the potential impact on health, air and noise pollution and soil quality.

Mr Leary said: “We would not want anyone else to find that they face the stress and uncertainty caused by finding, all of a sudden, that a company has your area in its sights for an opencast coal mine. We know what it feels like.

“If the district authority can make the risks of this happening to other people and businesses clearer, then it would be doing the people of North West Leicestershire a great service.

“They would know that this was possible before they bought a house or decided to invest in a business”

A North West Leicestershire District Council spokesman said: “The district council as local planning authority has prepared the draft document for consultation.

“In relation to future potential open cast sites, the district council will need to take account of Leicestershire County Council’s comments on the document as they are the minerals planning authority and will make any decisions on future minerals extraction activities.

“At this early stage in the process, no decisions have been taken on the level of or strategy for growth in the district and we would encourage the Minorca Opencast Protest Group to comment on the document before the closing date of March 23 to ensure their comments can be taken into account in future versions of the document.”

From the Burton Mail

Scottish Government Blasted Over Opencast Changes

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Robin Harper MSP has challenged Scottish Ministers over their decision last month to bring in sweeping new planning rules on opencast coal.

The new rules were condemned as an attempt to shield Ministers from the true cost to communities of a new generation of coal power.

Responding to questions asked by Robin Harper MSP (1) and the SNP’s Aileen Campbell MSP, the Minister confirmed that local authorities, not the Scottish Government, will now be responsible for deciding the vast majority of opencast coal operations.

The Scottish Greens have also today lodged a motion (2) in Parliament calling for a moratorium on new opencast sites in Scotland and a phasing-out of coal power altogether.

Robin Harper MSP said:

“Local councils clearly have a vested interest in approving more opencast coal as they benefit hugely from coal revenues through business rates, levies and sponsorship deals. By issuing these sweeping new planning rules it seems that the Scottish Government is abandoning communities to another decade of local pollution and disruption simply to power an outdated energy model and in turn fuelling a global climate disaster.

“The Minister says that local councils are best placed to represent local communities and in general I agree but in this instance we are talking about vital national issues of energy supply and climate change. The renewable technologies already exist to make our energy supply completely clean and efficient. Ministers should put a halt to all new coal operations and give Scottish communities a break.”

From Cumnock Chronicle

Mine battler’s claim of ‘blood on hands’

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A community campaigner fighting plans for an opencast coal mine in Telford claimed supporters of the scheme would have “blood on their hands” if the scheme was finally given the go-ahead.

Pat Judson, of Friends of the Ercall, claimed a mine would cause asthma and other problems for children living nearby.

And he said it was appalling that health issues appeared to be given little weight in the planning process.

He was giving his final address yesterday at the six-week public inquiry into UK Coal’s bid to extract 900,000 tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of fireclay from Huntington Lane, between New Works and Little Wenlock.

UK Coal says a mine would help meet demands by the Government for home-produced coal, create 92 jobs and provide fuel for Ironbridge Power Station.

Telford & Wrekin Council says a mine would cause misery for residents and harm precious countryside, including part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Inspector Andrew Mead has been hearing final speeches from barristers for UK Coal and the council before considering the evidence and reporting to the Government. A decision by ministers is not due before the end of the year.

The other group officially represented at the inquiry is Friends of the Ercall, whose witness, retired GP Dr Dick van Steenis, claimed potentially dangerous fine dust particles would be blown on to an area in which more than 90,000 people live.

Mr Judson told the inspector: “We find it appalling and repugnant that health is barely worth a mention within English planning guidance.

“Those who have played a part in this application for an opencast mine, close to large concentrations of housing and schools, will have blood on their hands.”

Afterwards, he paid tribute to the council for leading the battle against UK Coal. “The community really appreciates the council’s efforts and looks forward to working with it in future to protect the area around The Wrekin and Ercall,” he said.

From the Shropshire Star

Councillors reject plans for an opencast mine near Fairburn Ings

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CONTROVERSIAL plans for an opencast mine near Fairburn Ings have been rejected by council chiefs.

Campaigners applauded and cheered as councillors voted against Banks Mining’s proposal to extract 875,000 tonnes of coal over five years at the Newton Lane site at a Leeds City Council meeting this afternoon.

Members of the planning committee rejected the plans - which had been recommended for approval - because of concerns including transport, the impact on the community and the “specialness” of Fairburn Ings.

Resident Roy Wilson, speaking against the plans, said: “It would take five years to mine this coal, just 11 days to burn it and 50 years for the landscape to recover.”

Placard-waving members of campaign group Yorkshire Against New Coal (YANC) had rallied outside the council’s civic hall before the meeting began.

Chris Mackins, of the group, told councillors: “The application is hugely unpopular and a disaster for climate change.”

A report to the meeting said that more than 1,400 letters of objection had been received - citing reasons including the potential impact on the nature reserve, the local area, ecomony, families as well as climate change and the effect of extra lorries on the roads.

Banks said the mine would create 41 new jobs.

From the Pontefract & Castleford Express

Opencast campaigners get ready for fight

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CAMPAIGNERS are bracing themselves to fight renewed attempts to mine more than half a million tonnes of coal in their midst.

A group, the No to Opencast Today or Tomorrow (NOTT) was formed after UK Coal announced they wanted to extract 556,000 tonnes of coking coal from land between Dipton and Leadgate, near Consett, County Durham.

Although the plans have yet to be considered the planning authority, Durham County Council, residents have vowed to remain vigilant. Last night NOTT members held a meeting at Dipton Community Centre.

Spokesman David Shield said: “We started off on May 7, 2007 saying how we would be affected if a big hole was dug right in the middle of our villages. The answer is simple and should be obvious to anyone.

“It makes a mess and no amount of fine words, promises or strident assertions can change that fact. We will oppose this for the sake of our children.”

NOTT secured more than 3,000 signatures from residents opposing the plans. UK Coal has said the scheme could take up to six years, would create 38 jobs and provide much-needed coke for the steel industry.

A spokesman said: “This is only a short-term intrusion on the countrywide and the restoration will enhance the ecology of the area.

“The bottom line is that we have got to get our energy from somewhere.”

UK Coal is proposing to create a nature conservation site adjacent to the proposed mining site.

Should the application for extraction of coal gain planning approval, UK Coal plans to use nearby ponds for the translocation of the great crested newts from an existing pond on the site of Brooms Pond.

A UK Coal spokesman said some “amendments” had been made to the site following the original application after discussions with planners.

The company hoped the amended application would be determined one way or the other by the planning authority, Durham County Council, “later in this year”.

From Journal Live\