1 week Ago By [email protected] (Chris Haines)
Restoration work opencast mines in Wales has been "woefully short" of what was promised costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds, a politician has said. Llŷr Gruffydd, who whose climate change committee wrote a report on the issue, said developers have repeatedly "cut and run", breaking promises on restoration and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds. Mr Gruffydd told the Senedd: “In all of the cases that we looked at, the restoration work has fallen woefully short of what was promised.
We have seen companies – sometimes the same company – repeatedly cut and run without keeping to their end of the bargain. Restoration failures have meant losses to the public purse amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds." Mr Gruffydd raised concerns about a "clear lack of accountability" from site operators and public authorities, with those involved "refusing to take responsibility" when things go wrong.
The Plaid Cymru politician visited Ffos-y-Fran, the UK’s last opencast mine in Merthyr Tydfil which closed in 2023, alongside fellow committee members last week. He said people living nearby have been proved right with the revised restoration plans. "This is exactly what many residents have feared.
The stark reality is that the council just finds itself over a barrel. There’s not much it can do but I hope and expect the council to do the right thing and ensure that residents are consulted on any proposals that come forward in the coming months." Mr Gruffydd welcomed the Welsh Government ’s confirmation that new coal extraction should only be approved under "wholly exceptional circumstances" and welcomed £25m announced in the UK budget for coal tip remediation in Wales, saying: “It is unlikely to be sufficient, as we all know, but it is a start.
” Janet Finch-Saunders said: “The UK's autumn budget has offered Wales a mere £25m for coal tip safety – better than nothing – but ...
in the grand scheme, it simply isn't enough.” The Tory shadow climate change minister bemoaned the closure of Ffos y Fran, “resulting in the sad reality that Wales must now import impure and dirty coal from abroad". She praised "incredible work" to restore the opencast mine back to a site of historical and environmental value, suggesting the Ffos y Fran scheme should be seen as good practice.
Caerphilly MS Hefin David said the issue pre-dates devolution so "it’s not for the Welsh Government to be spending this money". Responding to the debate on November 13, Huw Irranca-Davies outlined the Welsh Government’s formal response to the committee’s recommendations. Wales’ climate change secretary said: “It's crucial now that we have a structured means of dealing with the sites that are left behind.
Our immediate task is to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to ensure coal tips are safe and not a threat to communities. Mr Irranca-Davies, who is also deputy first minister, told the Senedd that a disused mine and quarry tips bill will be introduced before Christmas ..
