Minerals Technical Advice Note 2: Coal

The Welsh Assembly Government will publish the Minerals Coal Technical Advice Note 2 (MTAN2) - an important One Wales commitment - early this year.

It will contain comprehensive advice for local planning authorities, applicants and other stakeholders. It will apply to both surface and underground working. It will provide a comprehensive framework within which future applications for coal extraction applications should be determined and mineral resources should be safeguarded.

Completion of the Coal MTAN will fulfil the pledges in One Wales to introduce Health Impact Assessments for coal applications, together with buffer zones, and with an emphasis on working closely with local communities. It reaffirms the commitment identified in the 2008 consultation paper to a 500m buffer zone.

Building on the buffer zone policy in Minerals Planning Policy Wales (2000), the technical advice is a significant step towards our common goals - planning for a coal industry that works with local communities, that respects the environment and, for the immediate future, continues to contribute to a secure, diverse and sustainable supply of energy and of coke for the iron and steel industry.

This means putting a high value on the well-being of the people who live and work in the Welsh coalfields, their health and every day amenity while at the same time recognising the value of our coal for energy, for steel, for employment.

Striking this difficult balance will require an awareness of the unique aspects of the main Welsh coalfield in South Wales. Most coalfields in the world will produce power station coal as the main commodity. In South Wales the power station coal is of an unusual low volatile character. When local coal is unavailable, Welsh coal is not easily substituted by imported coal and that is why Siberian low volatile coal is currently used to supplement Welsh supplies. Welsh coking coal reserves are not simply a potential energy source; metallurgical grade coal is a vital ingredient for steel making.  Anthracite in the western part of the South Wales coalfield is a resource unique in the UK although available from other continents.

When possible, the working of coal reserves should be kept as far apart as practical from communities.  The legacy of past mining, close to towns and villages, can mean that land cannot easily be reused and restored and may, in fact, be unsafe.  The coal advice recognises this restitution problem and, where it is the most sustainable solution, coal working may be permitted within the 500m buffer zone, with full justification for the exceptions in such cases.

Opencast working frequently generates a high degree of controversy, partially based on concerns about health. The coal advice aims to ensure that public participation is a key part of the process, extending to the need and scope for Health Impact Assessment and how it might best be approached for coal applications.