A massive opencast coal mine in south Wales will close after an extension to keep it open was refused. An application had been submitted for Ffos y Fran opencast mine in Merthyr Tydfil to keep operating until March 2024. The firm behind the scheme said coal from the mine was needed by the steel industry.
But planning officials at Merthyr Council said the proposed extension did not fit with Welsh Government policies on tackling climate change - meaning that production at the mine must stop after 16 years of excavation.
Councillor Malcolm Colbran said that Ffos y Fran had provided good quality well-paid jobs and benefits from the community fund but said it is "time for change" given the world is much more aware of the effects of climate change and global warming. He added that Wales was the first nation to declare a climate emergency and for that to have any meaning they need to take action and leave fossil fuels behind.
