Coal and Environment
Coal is a major contributor
to Britain’s energy mix and provides around a third
of the country’s electricity. Modern flue gas cleaning
plants and careful control of coal quality ensure that power
station stack emissions have become cleaner and less polluting
over the years.
The challenge is now the reduction of the
nation’s carbon dioxide emissions as part of the UK’s
contribution towards the issue of global warming. Whilst the
UK is on course to exceed its Kyoto commitments, efforts are
still being made to reduce carbon emissions further by increasing
the use of wind power and other renewable sources.
From the very first stages of the development of a new
mining project, ATH endeavours to ensure that environmental
considerations are at the forefront of conceptual design and
that these considerations continue to inform the design throughout
the process to ensure that each and every impact of the functioning
mining operation is controlled and mitigated to an acceptable
level.
Prior to commencement, project proposals are thoroughly examined
through the Environmental Impact Assessment process and documented
in an Environmental Statement, which, typically, is prepared
by external consultants and scrutinised by a variety of Local
Authority and statutory consultees.
This process ensures that site design is environmentally acceptable
and internal and external monitoring ensures that operational environmental
and amenity risk areas such as noise, dust, water control and transportation
are controlled to the highest standards.
Site restoration is a process that commences
with the first lifting of soils (to preserve them in a suitable
manner to ensure beneficial re-use), and continues throughout
the operational phase of a mine, (to ensure that the maximum
amount of restoration is carried prior to the completion of
mineral extraction). An aftercare period of 5 years follows
the completion of mining operations to ensure that the restoration
objectives are met.
Restoration objectives are normally mixed and may include a return agriculture
and forestry, and increase in bio-diversity and habitat creation
and other forms of development.
Aside from its on-site environmental objectives, ATH also supports an array of community and environmental initiatives in the vicinity of its operational mine both directly and also, indirectly through contributions to a local charity The Cumnock and Doon Valley Minerals Trust Fund contributions to which are around £400,000 per annum.
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