Published: Thursday, 6th March, 2008 12:00
Moves to reopen Longannet Colliery
By Jamie MacDonald
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Councillor William Walker has been encouraged by talks with Scottish Parliament officials.
THE prospect of Longannet Colliery reopening has taken a small step forward after a meeting between Fife Council officials and representatives of the Scottish Parliament.
Councillor for West Fife and Coastal Villages, William Walker, organised the meeting – attended by the Scottish Energy Minister, Jim Mather, and the senior policy adviser to Alex Salmond, Stephen Noon – to find out the part coal has to play in the SNP Government’s energy policy.
The outcome of the meeting is that a forum will be set up to bring relevant business, university and public participants together to examine the possibility of reopening the mine.
If all goes well it could be a matter of weeks before a feasibility study begins looking into re-starting mining in West Fife.
Mr Walker told the Advertiser, “It is very much a runner. The Government will do a bit of checking up but things should happen soon.
“I was very pleased to find that the Minister and his team were already fully aware of the new potential of coal, including all the recent developments in efficient, clean, electricity generation at Longannet.
“We also agreed that all the recent developments were well-matched to examining the possibility of either reopening Longannet colliery or driving a new shaft nearby.
“I was very pleased to learn that the Government was already fully aware of these possibilities.”
Thanks to new technology, coal is no longer seen as being a dirty fuel and, with carbon capture technology – where carbon dioxide is pumped deep into the earth – the impact of using coal on the environment has decreased.
The mine at Longannet closed due to a flood in April 2002 and would require to be de-watered before it could be reopened.
Once operational it would provide access to the massive coalfield sited underneath Airth where – it is believed – there is enough coal in it to sustain the colliery for 30 to 40 years.
Fellow councillor for West Fife and Coastal Villages, Willie Ferguson, was also at the meeting.
He said, “With the clear possibility of renewed coal mining, the area is on track for strong economic growth. The new road bridge and rail-line extension from Alloa, both due to open soon, just add icing to the cake.”
Coal prices – along with other fuels – are continuing to rise across the globe and China has recently announced it will no longer export coal to other countries.
The abundance of available Scottish coal is becoming an increasingly attractive option.
Jim Parker, from the Scottish Mineworkers Consortium, has been a long term campaigner to have the mine reopened. He was not involved in the talks but cautiously welcomed the outcome.
Mr Parker said, “We hope something comes of this, but it is easy to talk. There has been a lot of talk over the years about reopening Longannet and nothing has happened. If they are serious, we welcome the news.
He added, “There are 500 million tonnes of coal under Airth – they’ve known it since the 1950s. When it was discovered, they said they had found the energy to power the 21st century
“But the longer they leave Longannet the way it is, the more difficult it will be to reopen it.”
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