Ffos y-Fran opencast coal mine owners given closure date

Coal extraction at Merthyr Tydfil's Ffos-y-Fran mine began in 2007 on a 15-year licence

The UK's biggest opencast coalmine must close by the end of July, owners have been told.

An enforcement notice for the Ffos y-Fran mine in Merthyr Tydfil was issued in May requiring the end of the extraction of coal from the land.

The notice takes effect on 27 June and owners then have 28 days to comply, Merthyr Tydfil council revealed.

Discussions to consider a restoration strategy for the land are also taking place.

In April, the council's planning committee voted to refuse an application to extend the time of operations at the site until March 2024.

Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, the company behind the mine, said the coal was needed for the steel industry, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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However, council planning officials said the company failed to clearly demonstrate that the extraction of coal was needed to support industrial non-energy generating uses.

The operators of the mine wanted to keep up production until the end of March 2024 and push back the date for final restoration of the site to June 2026.

The Ffos-y-Fran land reclamation scheme won planning permission in 2005, with work beginning to excavate 11 million tonnes of coal two years later.

The other aim was to restore the land back to green hillside for the community's benefit as work progressed.

But Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has admitted that "insufficient funds" had been set aside to complete the restoration of the land as envisaged then, and time was needed to put forward and consult on a revised plan.

The Welsh government said: "Tackling the climate emergency requires serious and sustained action and collaboration in Wales and at a global level.

"The move towards a managed end of the extraction and use of coal must be decisive and delivered as soon as feasibly possible."