Tower Colliery
Cash crisis puts coal out of reach of Tower
Jan 25 2006
Rhodri Clark, Western Mail
TOWER COLLIERY, the last major remnant of Wales' once-enormous coal industry, faces closure within three years despite rising energy prices worldwide.
The coal seams now being worked by the iconic pit's 375-strong workforce will be exhausted in two to three years, it was confirmed yesterday.
There is no shortage of coal which could be brought to the surface by the Tower shaft near Hirwaun, Cynon Valley - but reaching it would need investment which is beyond the means of the miners who sensationally bought their own pit in 1995 after the UK Government tried to close it.
One industry expert said yesterday government funding for Tower was restricted by European Union subsidy rules. Private investors could be wary because imported coal remains relatively cheap and the UK Government is looking afresh at nuclear power.
Ken Davies, company secretary at the colliery, said, "I would say if Tower had three years' work left in its present seams, that would be about the maximum.
"There are other seams, but they would need the investment to get into them. I doubt whether Tower would be able to generate that finance without someone making a commitment to mining in Wales, to keep 300-400 people in work and to provide South Wales coal to the power stations."
He said the UK Government was sticking to the Kyoto protocol on climate change while other countries had found ways to keep their coal industries alive. "In China, America, South Africa and Australia, if it's beneficial for the country to have an independent energy source or if it's beneficial from a financial position, they're using coal and going for clean coal technology to overcome the environmental problem."
"Our leaders seem to have decided that coal generally isn't acceptable."
(...)
The South Wales coalfield is short of miners and engineers, for the first time in many decades.
The situation is so acute that Welsh mines may have to import skilled workers from countries which have sustained their own mines and training courses.
(...)
Last year Corus was granted a licence for a mine at Margam to feed its nearby steelworks from seams containing about 36 million tonnes of coal.
Ken Davies, of Tower Colliery, said, 'If there was any pick-up in the industry in Britain, there would be a dire shortage (of engineers).
'Other countries haven't decimated their mining industries to the same extent as we have. I would imagine that we will be looking to those countries behind the Iron Curtain to provide us with qualified people, because we're not training our own at home.'
Source here
Jan 25 2006
Rhodri Clark, Western Mail
TOWER COLLIERY, the last major remnant of Wales' once-enormous coal industry, faces closure within three years despite rising energy prices worldwide.
The coal seams now being worked by the iconic pit's 375-strong workforce will be exhausted in two to three years, it was confirmed yesterday.
There is no shortage of coal which could be brought to the surface by the Tower shaft near Hirwaun, Cynon Valley - but reaching it would need investment which is beyond the means of the miners who sensationally bought their own pit in 1995 after the UK Government tried to close it.
One industry expert said yesterday government funding for Tower was restricted by European Union subsidy rules. Private investors could be wary because imported coal remains relatively cheap and the UK Government is looking afresh at nuclear power.
Ken Davies, company secretary at the colliery, said, "I would say if Tower had three years' work left in its present seams, that would be about the maximum.
"There are other seams, but they would need the investment to get into them. I doubt whether Tower would be able to generate that finance without someone making a commitment to mining in Wales, to keep 300-400 people in work and to provide South Wales coal to the power stations."
He said the UK Government was sticking to the Kyoto protocol on climate change while other countries had found ways to keep their coal industries alive. "In China, America, South Africa and Australia, if it's beneficial for the country to have an independent energy source or if it's beneficial from a financial position, they're using coal and going for clean coal technology to overcome the environmental problem."
"Our leaders seem to have decided that coal generally isn't acceptable."
(...)
The South Wales coalfield is short of miners and engineers, for the first time in many decades.
The situation is so acute that Welsh mines may have to import skilled workers from countries which have sustained their own mines and training courses.
(...)
Last year Corus was granted a licence for a mine at Margam to feed its nearby steelworks from seams containing about 36 million tonnes of coal.
Ken Davies, of Tower Colliery, said, 'If there was any pick-up in the industry in Britain, there would be a dire shortage (of engineers).
'Other countries haven't decimated their mining industries to the same extent as we have. I would imagine that we will be looking to those countries behind the Iron Curtain to provide us with qualified people, because we're not training our own at home.'
Source here
posted by J. at 6:55 PM
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