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.