ATH Glenmuckloch coal mine expansion 'safeguards jobs'
- Published
The company said the expansion would help it to provide continued employment for 90 people
A mining firm has secured council support for an opencast coal site expansion it says will safeguard 90 jobs in southern Scotland.
ATH Resources had applied to Dumfries and Galloway Council to extend the facility at Glenmuckloch.
The local authority has recommended the plans go ahead but they must now be referred to Scottish ministers.
The company said it hoped the mine could start production towards the end of the year.
The new site is an extension to the firm's existing operation at Glenmuckloch, which is due to finish in the autumn of this year.
Alistair Black, chief executive of ATH Resources, said: "This planning approval provides continued employment for 90 people in the area and is an important contributor to the future of the ATH business and the local economy in this part of Dumfries and Galloway."