The glowing embers of UK coal mining

While Bryn Bach Coal reapplies for an extension to its existing coal mine, West Cumbria Mining misses the deadline to appeal the rejection of a new mine at Whitehaven.

Bryn Bach Coal is seeing planning permission to extend its surface coal mine in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

In a design and access statement submitted to Carmarthenshire Council by C2J Architects, as part of a planning application, the Welsh miner wants to mine a further 85,000t of anthracite from its proposed Glan Lash extension.

The existing open cast mine would extend North 10.03Ha, with a total of 5.92Ha excavation area. The statement says there is no proposed change to working methods.

After being granted access to mine 92,500t of anthracite coal in 2012, the miner was refused permission to extend the site to mine 110,000t from the site in September 2023.

The design and access statement claims the environmental concerns in the previous refusal have been addressed by the new proposal, with the site being ' retained, restored and managed for at least 17 years'.

The statement goes on to say that 'production from Glanlash will only be marketed for water purification, brake-pad manufacture, brickmaking and other high-tech activities. It will not be burnt for energy production with the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere. To not mine it at Glanlash would result in its importation from across the world, including places such as Chile, Canada and Vietnam.'  

Meanwhile in Cumbria, West Cumbria Mining has not appealed after the High Court ruled that mine plans were 'legally flawed' for its proposed Whitehaven coking coal mine.

Although initially approved by the council in 2020, the plan took until 2022 to be approved by government.

In July this year, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner accepted there was an 'error in the law' in permitting the new coalmine.

Friends of the Earth reports that the miner has missed the deadline to appeal the High Court ruling following legal challenges brought by itself and South Lakes Action on Climate Change.

In September, the Coal Authority also refused to grant coal mining licences for the development.

Friends of the Earth notes that Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner. will now have to reconsider the original planning application by West Cumbria Mining – unless the company decides to withdraw its original plans.