Mining company HJ Banks and the Ledston Estate are proposing to opencast coal and minerals from 137 hectares of land east of the village of Ledston. They plan to opencast around 875,000 tonnes of coal, limestone and other minerals over a 5 year period.
The proposed site for the open cast mine is next to the RSBP Fairburn Ings Nature reserve, which attracts 100,000 visitors a year, many of whom come to the nature reserve from nearby Leeds and Castleford to enjoy wildlife, fresh air and the peaceful surroundings. The open cast mine proposes to cut through the water-bearing strata, which may drain the lakes and ponds which are a haven for many species. There is already strong local opposition to the open cast proposal.
It would take Drax, Ferrybridge and Eggborough power stations just fourteen days to burn one million tonnes of coal if they were working at full capacity. This would produce 3.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. Money, time and resources would be much better spent on renewable energy.
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Today on BBC Radio Leeds, Banks remarked that without coal feeding the Yorkshire power stations such as Ferrybridge and Drax, the lights will go out. This is typical fearmongering.
Power stations across the UK including Ferrybride are approaching the end of their operational lives. This amounts to an energy gap of about 25% if not replaced. This requires government to address our future energy requirments right now. Gordon Brown has stated that 40% of our electricity can be met by renewables, therefore, there is no energy gap problem. Coupled in with energy efficiency, the UK is well placed to meeting its energy requirments, addressing renewable energy leadership and meeting its carbon emission reduction targets.