‘Epic mismanagement’ at Ffos-y-Fran ‘must never happen again’

A report by the Welsh Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee calls for lessons to be learnt in how sites are restored after mining permits end.

Ffos-y-Fran mine in Merthyr Tydfil is the last opencast mine in Wales and the most high-profile site examined by the Committee in its report. The license to extract coal from Ffos-y-Fran expired in September 2022, however locals reported that the mine was still operating – illegally - for an extended period before the site was closed in November 2023.

In opening the mine, the company running it, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, agreed to fully restore the site after it finished operations. However, the company now says it cannot afford the estimated £50mln to £120mln, to restore the site.

This has led the Committee to call for the Welsh Government to use stronger enforcement measures when planning controls are breached. The Committee is also urging more transparency in all aspects of the mining process so that the public is aware of how plans develop. 

The Committee’s report also explores coal tip reclamation and who should pay for securing the safety of over 2,000 coal tips across Wales. While the UK Government has provided some extra funding to mitigate the risk from nearly 300 high-risk tips, as the matter is devolved, they say that the issue should primarily be dealt with by the Welsh Government.

However, many Welsh politicians have argued that, as coal tips are a legacy of the country’s industrial history which predates devolution, the UK Government should bear the costs of the longer-term work to make coal tips safe.

The Committee’s report urges the Welsh Government to engage with the UK Government to seek funding for coal tip remediation.