Welsh Lib Dems call for ban on new coal mines in Wales

Last week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats called on the Welsh Government to stop the opening of any new coal mines here in Wales.

Last month, the UK’s last remaining opencast coal mine, Ffos-y-Fran in Merthyr Tydfil, closed after 16 years of operation.

The site operators Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, have claimed that there are insufficient funds available to restore the site, which measures to nearly 400 full-sized football pitches, to how it originally looked prior to when mining first started.

According to the Coal Action Network, mining at the site has caused:

·       Over 1.6 million tonnes of additional C02 emissions.

·       An estimated 362 additional deaths from climate change impacts.

·       Over 150 workers face redundancy from the site’s closure.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling on the Welsh Government to ban the opening of any new coal mines in Wales, allowing the country to transition further away from fossil fuels and towards more eco-friendly fuel sources.

Commenting, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“The time of the coal industry here in Wales has ended, brought to a close by the shutting down of the Ffos-y-Fran site in Merthyr Tydfil, which was the UK’s last remaining open surface mine.

Wales’ past will forever be linked to the coal industry, but now is the time to draw a line in the sand and make it clear that coal extraction has no role in our future.

If we want a greener future for Wales, then we must phase out all fossil fuels and turn towards a more sustainable and eco-friendlier source of fuel.”