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National Scene
National News
* RJB Mining plc changed its name on 25th May 2001 to UK Coal plc.
At the company's AGM on 15th May 2001 it was reported that Ellington Colliery had been in "development mode" during the first four months of 2001, but was now back in full production. The colliery produced approximately 0.2m tonnes during calendar year 2000 - compared with 0.8m tonnes during 1999.
* The Government has continued to make additional financial payments to the UK coal producers under the UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme - including RJB Mining/UK Coal, H.J.Banks & Blenkinsopp Colliery.
UK Coal & Energy Statistics:
* The May 2001 issue of the DTi Statistical Bulletin Energy Trends shows that UK coal production declined during the first quarter of 2001 - by 4.3% compared to the first quarter of 2000. Deep-mined output fell by 3.3% (from 4.336m tonnes in 2000 to 4.192m tonnes) and opencast output declined by 4.7% (from 3.496m tonnes to 3.332m tonnes).
Estimated total UK coal imports in the period January-March 2001 were 8.902m tonnes - up from 5.279m tonnes in the same period in 2000.
UK Coal consumption increased by 18.8% in the first quarter of 2001 - from 15.775m tonnes in Jan-March 2000 to 18.748m tonnes.
The increase was due to an increase in power station coal consumption, which increased by 26.2% during the first quarter (up from 12.373m tonnes in Jan-March 2000 to 15.615m tonnes in Jan-March 2001).
UK power station coal stocks showed a decline during the first quarter of 2001. At the end of March 2001 the coal in stock at the power stations was estimated at 9.738m tonnes (compared with 11.809m tonnes at the end of March 2000).
Undistributed stocks at collieries and opencast sites have fallen to historically low levels. Energy Trends shows that undistributed stocks at the end of March 2001 was 0.671m tonnes (down from 1.257m tonnes in January 2001 - and substantially lower than the 3.180m tonnes in March 2000). Further significant undistributed stock reductions are not considered possible.
The reason for the increase in power station coal consumption during the first quarter of 2001 was the decline in electricity production by the gas-fired power stations (down by 7.7% on the same period in 2000) and an additional small decline in nuclear power output (down by 1% compared to Jan-March 2000).
Usually gas-fired electricity output increases during the Spring/Summer period - displacing coal. Future editions of Energy Trends will show whether this trend continues during 2001.
Coal Authority
Coal Production Statistics
Year ending 31st March 2001 (Year ending 31st March 2000)
Thousand tonnes of opencast production
England 4,768 (6,163)
Wales 1,401 (1,540)
Scotland 7,078 (7,224)
Total UK 13,247 (14,927)
Northumberland 1,802 (1,805)
Sunderland 61 (243)
Co.Durham 233 (403)
*** 2001 statistics are provisional
- may be subject to possible revision
*** See Coal Authority Internet Site: http://www.coal.gov.uk/
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EU strengthens environmental assessment rules
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
** Text of an article published in Environment Business Magazine - June 2001, p.16
"Agreement On Tougher SEA Directive"
* After five years of difficult negotiations, agreement has been reached on the final text of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive. It will come into effect within the next few months and includes a number of more stringent requirements demanded by the European Parliament.
The Directive will require a formal environmental assessment, by UK-central, regional and local authorities, of a wide range of public plans and programmes with significant effects on the environment.
Enthusiasm for the measure has been lukewarm among several member states - including, initially the UK - but the last obstacles to agreement have been cleared by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament in a conciliation committee.
MEPs demanded and secured several important amendments that will give the Directive "more bite". One of the most significant is a requirement for responsible authorities to undertake ex post monitoring of all plans and programmes subject to SEA, in order to identify unforeseen adverse effects and provide a check on the adequacy of the ex ante assessment.
A further requirement is for EU member states to put in place a quality control system to ensure SEAs are up to standard.
Other key changes secured by the European Parliament include the following:
* The inclusion of EU structural funds and rural development programmes - but only after the expiry in 2006/07 of the present programming period.
* A detailed list of the types of environmental impacts to be assessed. These should now cover effects on biodiversity, population, human health, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climate, material assets, cultural heritage (including architectural and archaeological heritage), landscape, and the interrelationship between these factors.
* An extended definition of whom has the right to be consulted - to include any person or organisation affected, or likely to be affected by, or having an interest in the decision, including relevant NGOs.
SEAs will be mandatory for all plans or programmes which:
* set the framework for development consents for individual projects listed in Annex I and II of the EIA Directive (1997/11);
* are in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy, industry, transport, waste management, water management, telecommunications, tourism, town and country planning or land use;
* have been determined to require an assessment under the Habitat's Directive (1992/43) in view of their likely effect on Natura 2000 sites.
For other plans and programmes, EU member states will be required to carry out an environmental assessment only if they consider, on the basis of detailed criteria set out in an Annex, that they are likely to have significant environmental effects.
The conciliation committee's agreement now needs to be rubber-stamped by the Council and the European Parliament, and this is expected within the next few days.
[This has now taken place]
The Directorate will formally become law as soon as it appears in the EU's official journal - probably before July 2001 - but EU member states will then have three years to introduce the necessary procedures.
Postscript: It is now anticipated the DETR (and other UK government bodies) will be appointing consultants over the next year to start preparing planning guidance on the likely impacts of SEA.
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Petition to Scottish Parliament
Petition to the Scottish Parliament
*** Several opencast action groups & environmental organisations in Scotland jointly submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament earlier this year - requesting that the Parliament re-examine the planning system for opencast coal mining in Scotland & ensure that the standards for determining new site applications are the same as in England.
Scottish opencast output has risen in recent years - and now exceeds greatly output in England.
Reports indicate that the issue will be examined by the appropriate committee in the Parliament later this year.
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CoalPro gets new Director General
CoalPro Press Release (25th May 2001):
Pressure Group Gets A New Director General
* The pressure group which represents the bulk of Britain's coal producers has appointed a new Director General.
Brian Rostron, 49, who has over 25 years' experience in the industry, has succeeded Philip Deakin at the Wakefield-based Confederation of UK Coal Producers.
Mr Deakin, 55, will continue as Director General of the Association of british Mining Equipment Companies (ABMEC), for whom he has worked for the past seven years.
The Confederation represents about 20 coal producers and associated mining businesses employing about 15,000 people producing about 30 million tonnes of coal a year, while ABMEC represents over 40 companies employing 8,000 people producing mining and related equipment worth about £300m a year.
Lancastrian Mr Rostron, whose mining career started in 1976 with Shephard Hill after being awarded a mining degree at Newcastle University, was Managing Director of surface mining company Coal Contractors before joining Scottish Coal in 1998 as Operations Director.
Mr Rostron, who now lives at Wirksworth in the Peak District, said: "This is an exciting new challenge for me at a time when there are several major planning and environmental issues that have to be addressed if coal is to remain a cornerstone of Britain's energy policy. There is no doubt that coal as a fuel has an excellent future and I am delighted at being given the opportunity of helping the industry to overcome some of the prejudices which exist in relation to surface mining and to continue the campaign for Britain to kick-start the new technologies which will enable coal to be burnt more cleanly and more efficiently - and to the benefit of electricity consumers."
Tom Allchurch, Managing Director of ATH Resources of Doncaster, has been appointed Chairman of the Confederation, with Pat O'Brien, Managing Director of UK COAL's Surface Mines and Property Division and Scott Brown, Managing Director of I&H Brown Ltd of Perth, joint Deputy Chairmen.
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Maiden's Hall Extension
It was reported in an article in The Journal "Call Over Opencast Controls - To Win Jobs" by Dave Black" (Newcastle upon Tyne, 5th June 2001, p.21) that UK Coal Plc (formerly known as RJB Mining plc) is asking Northumberland County Council's planners to relax controls governing working hours, noise and blasting at the Maiden's Hall opencast site in a bid to avoid redundancies and create new jobs.
UK Coal wants to introduce a two-shift system with extended working hours until 11pm on weekdays at the site (located near Red Row) for a six-month trial period. The company is also seeking permission to increase noise levels at the site during evening periods and carry out extra blasting.
UK Coal says the new shift pattern will avoid the need for four redundancies and will result in the creation of a further 20 jobs at the Maiden's Hall site, which has been in operation for over four years.
More than 70 workers at the site (which employs 104 workers) have written letters supporting the application because of the employment implications. Today (5th June 2001) the County Council's planning and regulation committee will be recommended by planning officers to give the new arrangements the go-ahead on a trial basis until the end of 2001.
The modified working arrangements are likely to become permanent if a forthcoming bid to extend the coaling area and prolong the working life of the site by a further five years is approved by the County Council.
UK Coal wants to extract an extra 1.7m tonnes of coal from the site which would see workings continue until 2008.
Widdrington Station and Stobswood Parish Council had objected to the proposals to relax controls governing the site but the report to the planning and regulation committee says they are unlikely to affect people in the surrounding villages. The report adds that: "The imposition of a trial period will allow the new methods of working to be carefully monitored and will bring to light any potential adverse impacts."
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National Scene March 2003
·Outlook for the Selby deep mine complex is bleak. Reports indicate that it may now be closed before the end of 2003 - due to geological problems.
·See Energy Trends monthly statistics - which can be found on the DTi web site - www.dti.gov.uk
·The Government published the Energy White Paper at the end of February 2003. The text of the White Paper [plus associated Press Releases can be found on the DTi's web site].
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