Controversial Opencast Mine Will Finally Close 30th November 2023

Ffos y Fran is set to close on November 30
The closure of the controversial Ffos y Fran mine in November this year will be a “sad day” for the local area, a community councillor has said.

The coal mine, which is located in Merthyr Tydfil – less than five miles away from Fochriw – is set to close on November 30, according to the operator Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd.

The site has been the subject of controversy after its owners continued to extract coal despite planning permission coming to an end in September 2022.

Appeals followed to both Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council – which was turned down – and the Welsh Government.

But now, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has notified the Welsh Government of its closure.

All 180 employees at the site will be made redundant.

Independent councillor Eddy Blanche who represents Fochriw and Pentwyn on Darran Valley community council said: “It’s a disgrace.

“This is a sad day for the local area. We have been saying for a long time that the area would not be restored and unfortunately we have been proved right.”

Cllr Blanche continued: “Either Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council or the Welsh Government should take over ownership of the mine and start restoration works.

“There is £15 million in the pot for restoration and the guys that work there should be kept on and start work immediately.”

Cllr Blanche said the mine owners are “walking away” but have little to do with “the running of the mine”. He added: “The expertise is already on site and ready to work.”

Cllr Blanche continued: “This would give people work and fulfil the promise to the local people that was made all those years ago: ‘To restore the tips and return them to public use.’”

What happened at Ffos y Fran?
In 2005, the Ffos y Fran land reclamation scheme won planning permission.

In 2007, coal extraction began on a 15-year licence.

In September 2022 planning permission comes to an end. Operations at the site continue.

In April 2023, an application to extend the mine’s permission to operate until March 2024 was denied by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council on climate grounds. The owner was given until the end of July 2023 to stop extraction.

Despite lacking an active license, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, the owner of the mine, persisted in operating.

In May 2023, it was reported that the operators of the opencast coal mine were told by Merthyr Tydfil Council to stop mining.

Following legal advice, the local authority then issued an enforcement notice giving the owners of the Ffos y Fran coal mine 28 days to stop extracting coal.

This was set to come into effect on June 27, 2023, but the owners appealed the decision to the Welsh Government – further complicating and delaying matters.

On July 5, Extinction Rebellion blockaded the entrance to the mine with their well-known pink boat with plans to shut down operations and stay for at least a week.

On August 15, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd notified the Welsh Government of its closure date.

The mine is set to close on November 30.

What if the Russians blow up our Gas supply Nord 1 or 2 or both, Winters are pretty cold in the UK wouldn't it be wise to just Moth-Ball it for the time being Extinction Rebellion and Friends of the Earth have won a huge battle but is it wise to close it down entirely with the War on-going in Ukraine.

I absolutely love Railways they've always been in my veins and yet with the closure of this Open-Cast mine also ends the Cae-Harris railway line opened in 1857 I shed a tear.

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

Wales in general has been in decline for the best part of fifty years and no matter WHO has been in power NOBODY has come up with a modern economy that would benefit it's people.

Farms in the north. Mines in the south and both have been in trouble due to cheaper imports of its products.
And the argument for 'tradition' is long gone.

New industries required.

senghenydd · M

@Picklebobble2 Oh I agree with you Wales has been in Decline, Wales lost Railway lines which would of helped new Industry transport goods, jobs were lost with Railway lines axed Coal mining jobs gone not replaced Docks not being used anymore some filled in, traditional industry gone.

There is much more un-employment in Wales than is being spoken about in other words someone is fiddling the books, The Rhondda is one of those areas, some areas of England rely on Migrant workers to pick the crops there isn't a problem in Wales it just goes to show where the un-employment black-spots are, I suggest these crops that rely of picking by hand are in future grown in Wales we have the same climate and there's a work force only to willing to assist in bringing in the harvest.

When ever a new company decides to move to Wales there's a big fuss on the local Tv channels, sadly there's not that many that do so.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Picklebobble2 There are some new-ish industries. Sony had a major television plant in South Wales that supported a large ecosystem of suppliers of components in various parts of Wales and the rest of the UK. Actually it's been there since 1973. The original factory employed 4 000 people at its peak but the current one, opened in in 1992, employs only 600 and is the last Sony manufacturing site in Europe [1].

So it can be done but central government, London that is, needs to start taking manufacturing seriously.

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64127104

senghenydd · M

@ninalanyon I'll forward your words of wisdom onto (1) The Steel Company at Margam South Wales and secondly The Welsh Government [b][u]"Some-[b][u]Thing Must Be Done[/u][/b]"[/u][/b] (Edward V111)

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@senghenydd 😛
Good luck with that!

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

What if the Russians blow up our Gas supply Nord 1 or 2 or both, Winters are pretty cold in the UK wouldn't it be wise to just Moth-Ball it for the time being Extinction Rebellion and Friends of the Earth have won a huge battle but is it wise to close it down entirely with the War on-going in Ukraine.

Cover it in solar panels. It's 14 square km [1]. Assuming that the latitude is roughly the same as London you can expect about 0.5 kWh per sq. m per day on average [2]. 14 sq km is 14 million sq. m, so it would generate 14 000 000 * 0.5 *365 kWh per year. That's 2 555 GWh per year. Enough for about 150 000 not very well insulated houses or enough to power a million EVs.

I don't know how much it needs but the steel plant could be converted to use hydrogen instead of coal. The hydrogen could be generated using solar power.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ffos-y-fran_Land_Reclamation_Scheme
[2] https://uplevelgreen.com/solar-power-per-square-meter-calculator/

Onestarlitnight

@ninalanyon
The largest solar panel field in the world is 13km but it’s built on Flat land as are the 2nd 3rd 4th 5th largest.
This is an open PIT mine and it’s impossible to cover the area with solar panels.
At best you might be able to get a quarter of the property covered but the cost would be prohibitive because of the terrain, steep slopes of loose fractured coal beds.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Onestarlitnight The loose ground is going to have to be stabilized anyway, that was part of the agreement that allowed the mine to open in the first place.

The Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme is a major opencast coaling operation to the north-east of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. The contracted excavator/reclaiming company is Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd (prev Miller Argent), which is owned by Gwent Investments Limited, a privately-owned family business based in South Wales. The scheme development is the last part of the East Merthyr Reclamation scheme, and will extract 10 million tonnes of coal over 15 years, with the intention of using part of the revenue to redevelop the current former industrial workings into residential and recreational use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ffos-y-fran_Land_Reclamation_Scheme

Anyway, I wasn't seriously proposing that exactly that should be done, just that there is huge potential. My point was that we have to stop looking to prop up industries that just are not providing significant income to the country and look to the future instead. If the UK government really wants the country to be net-zero the energy required has to come from somewhere, investing in that will generate huge numbers of jobs.

But governments everywhere are like generals in peacetime, always fighting the last war.

Barny52 · 56-60, M

A sad day we live on a island of coal yet don’t use it unlike others

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Barny52 · 56-60, M

@senghenydd yes important from Poland so what’s the difference in mining our own , government are looking at carbon capture perhaps if we had done that years ago we could still have a mining industry

senghenydd · M

@Barny52 We still have reserves of Coal if it could be used sensibly we could bring it back, the Boffins are looking into that I understand it's not cost affective yet.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@senghenydd

Margam Steel Works

That is being decarbonised anyway.

The government is in advanced talks with the country’s largest steel producer, Tata Steel, over a £500m package to secure its long-term future in the UK, according to reports.

Funding would be pumped into the Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales alongside £700m from the firm’s Indian parent company, Tata Group, Sky News said.

Under the deal, Tata Steel would also be required to commit to building electric arc furnaces to reduce carbon emissions.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/02/tata-steel-reportedly-close-to-securing-500m-aid-deal-from-uk-government

So it looks like my remark about the UK government not being forward looking might have been a bit too pessimistic, perhaps there is hope.

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