East Pit Coal Mine
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East Pit Coal Mine was an opencast coal mine operated by the now defunct Celtic Energy Ltd. in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot, South West Wales, United Kingdom.[1]
The mine supposedly ceased operation in 2019, following the (temporary) reopening of Celtic Energy's Nant Helen mine.[2][3]
Location
The satellite image below shows the exact location of the now-closed mine in South Wales, United Kingdom.
Background
Celtic Energy took over the East Pit mine after the coal industry was privatized in 1994.[3]
The company reportedly extracted up to 7,000 tonnes per week since 2005.[2] The anthracite coal produced at East Pit was considered suitable for use in the domestic markets and at the then-operating Aberthaw power station.[1]
Mining at East Pit was meant to cease in December 2001, however, a time extension submitted by Celtic Energy in 2002 was granted by Welsh Ministers in December 2004 for 7.5 years of further coal extraction (May 2005 - 30 November 2012).[3][1] Despite having permission to mine coal from May 2005, Celtic Energy didn’t resume mining operations until mid-2008, citing low coal prices. The company then continued mining coal without planning permission beyond the deadline of 2012 to make up for lost time.[3][1]
As the end of the mine's life neared, Celtic Energy was accused of evading land restoration obligations by transferring the mine's land ownership to a "shell" company a move which warranted investigation by the UK's Serious Fraud Office.[3][4][5] While their motives were found to be dishonest, they weren't ruled as illegal. Although Celtic Energy was ultimately cleared of all charges, the company continued to make questionable moves, and the UK Coal Authority supported most of Celtic Energy's antics, citing the need for “indigenous resources.”[3]
Closure and Reclamation
According to reports, East Pit was operated until 2019, when Celtic Energy's Nant Helen was reopened.[2]
The Neath Port Talbot County Council reports that restoration of the old mining location is complete. However, according to environmental group the Coal Action Network, a site visit in September 2022 revealed that the mine's industrial complex was seemingly abandoned.[3] This included flooding of the opencast coal pit with water, rather than backfilling it as was planned in the original reclamation agreement.[3]
Mine Details
- Operator: Celtic Energy
- Owner: Celtic Energy
- Location: Wales, United Kingdom
- Coordinates: 51.8002, -3.8377 (exact)
- Mine status: Operating
- Start year: 2005
- Production capacity (Mtpa): 0.364
- Total reserves (Mt): 2.1
- Coal type: Anthracite
- Mine type: Surface
- Mine size (Km2): 4.0
- Workforce size:
- Primary consumer:
- Source of financing:
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Planning Officer's Report APPLICATION NO: P2012/1073, Neath Port Talbot Council website, Accessed October 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 JP Casey, "Council approves restart of operations at Nant Helen coal mine", Mining Technology, 25 March 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 East Pit, Coal Action Network, Accessed October 2023.
- ↑ "Celtic Energy Ltd", UK Serious Fraud Office, 3 March 2015.
- ↑ Rhys Williams, "'The whole house vibrated': The residents living with the mess of opencast mines", ITV News, 28 March 2023.
