Coal operators have 4.75m tonnes of surface mineable coal in their sights in Engl;and, often lying within 500m of where people live. Planning rules for them to get this coal have been relaxed. At the same time, many Power Generating companies are or plan to convert power stations to run on biomass. If this does not make sense to you then read our press release to find out more information

             THE  LOOSE ANTI OPEN-CAST NETWORK

LAON PR2012 -9                                                                  3/10/12

PLANS AFOOT TO DIG UP OVER 4.5m TONNES OF COAL IN ENGLAND BY OPENCAST METHODS – BUT DO WE NEED THE COAL?

As local campaigners continue their campaign to raise at least £20,000 to take their case for a Judicial Review of the decision  to mine coal at the Halten Lea Gate site to the High Court, LAON can reveal that in total, coal producers in England have their eyes on digging up a total of at least 4.76m tonnes of coal over the next few years, all by the method of opening quarries and working them until the coal reserve is exhausted.

The only problem is that working these quarries by the opencast or surface mining method will be close to local people, perhaps close to where you live. This is because the bulk of this coal, 500m tonnes out of an estimated English reserve of 516m tonnes, is within 500m of where people live.

You would think that the rules governing the assessment of planning applications would prevent quarries being worked so close to where people live. But this is not the case as the decision over the Halten Lea Gate opencast site proves, where permission has been given to mine only 17m away from where people live. It could be the first of many

LAON’s latest review of news about current and prospective opencast sites published here:

5th Review of Opencast Sites: October 2012 @

https://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2849

shows that in England, a possible 14 sites from Northumberland down to Leicestershire are under consideration You can check to see if there is a sight near you. Contact LAON if there is or if you know of any site under consideration that is not on the list.

Steve Leary, LAON’S Co-ordinator said this, of this recent survey reviewing September news stories on prospective opencast coal sites

“To me it seems current policy on coal is failing to keep up with changes that are occurring in the demand for coal. We argue that this ‘national need’ for coal enshrined in the National Planning Policy Framework needs to be reviewed, as this flies in the face of growing evidence  that this is no longer the case. LAON has been working on presenting evidence about the decline in future demand for coal to help those currently objecting to planning applications, but now we are preparing a report because we can now expect a rapid decline in the demand for coal for power generation purposes.  

Since the privatisation of the generating industry statistics about actual coal use at each power station have become increasingly difficult to acquire, so the figures below are an estimate, most likely an over estimate, but they do show the degree of change underway in the energy market that is going to significantly reduce the demand for coal . Our methodology will be explained when our report is published.

Demand was already due to fall, as 6 power stations were due to close as coal burning stations, partly or completely by 2016 because they were too polluting. This alone could reduce the demand for coal by about 15m tonnes. (1)

Then in July the Government announced its review of the Renewable Obligations Certificates. Since the results of that review were announced, there has been a steady stream of announcements from companies such as Drax, RWE, E ON and International Power  about converting all or part of their plants to being fuelled by biomass, not coal. (2) This will result in another major reduction in the demand for coal in the very near future if all these plans result in all or part of the power stations being converted, of a further 9.0m tonnes of coal a year.

These recent announcements about conversion to biomass and the relicensing of Tilbury to continue to burn biomass,  will reduce this demand for coal even further, as they represent biomass generating capacity that is replacing coal burning capacity, of around 13m tonnes of coal.

Add all these figures together of 9 million + 15 million + 13 million tonnes of coal  and you end up with a figure of an annual decline in demand for coal of around 37m tonnes on the horizon. With this amount of a reduction in demand, how can coal still be considered as a mineral which it is a national necessity to exploit, when companies are reducing our capacity to burn coal on this scale.

This is partly why the Halten Lea Gate decision should be overturned at a Judicial Review and partly why all other applications in the pipeline for English opencast sites should be rejected

You can show your support for the local residents at Halton Lea Gate by making a donation to their fighting fund to:

 North Pennine Protection Group,  Account no:01014587, Sort code: 40-23-06 and send to: 5 High Midgeholme, Brampton, Cumbria. CA8 7LT

You can also sign their epetition to prevent similar applications from occurring elsewhere at

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36985

REFERENCES

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)    <!--[endif]-->The Power Stations due to close under the European Large Power directive as coal burning power stations are:

Didcot, Tilbury, Ferrybridge (part), Cockenzie, Kingsnorth and Ironbridge

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)    <!--[endif]-->Power stations which are to be converted to biomass fuelling or being considered for biomass conversion (all or part)

Drax, Lynmouth, Ironbridge and Rugely.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)    <!--[endif]-->Power stations then burning biomass instead of coal (all or part)

Tilbury, Drax, Lynmouth, Ironbridge and Rugely

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ABOUT LAON

The Loose Anti-Opencast Network (LAON) has been in existence since 2009. It  functions as a medium through to oppose open cast mine applications through which any person / group can communicate ideas, information, requests for information and possibly concerted actions if we find a target. In addition feel free to invite any other person / group who oppose opencast mining applications, to join the network so that it grows. At present LAON links individuals and groups in N Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northumberland, Co Durham, Leeds, Kirklees Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Walsall.

TO CONTACT LAON

Email          Steve Leary at   infoatlaon@yahoo.com