Scottish opencast coal output remains in the range of 5 to 8 million tonnes per annum over the last 10 years. There remains almost 30 million tonnes of coal at consented opencast sites in Scotland and we support the continued extraction of coal as long as it is undertaken with consideration of local and environmental factors.
In tandem with the continued development of clean coal technology this will offer a long-term future for coal-based electricity generation. Scotland has the expertise and the necessary infrastructure in this area. We still stand ready to take a European lead in clean coal technology. This will present a massive opportunity to export this technology world wide, especially to countries such as India and China which have an ever expanding energy sector and where clean coal technology has a particular relevance.
Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 16: Opencast Coal sets out national planning policies that apply to opencast coal. This gives clear guidance on the issues that should be taken into account when determining whether a proposal is acceptable. The policy states that there should normally be a presumption against new opencast coal developments unless they are environmentally acceptable or provide local or community benefits which outweigh the impacts.
The Town and Country Planning (Notification of Applications) (Scotland) Direction 2009 gives a more proportionate involvement in planning cases by removing the need for Local Authorities to automatically notify the Government of major developments (including opencast coal) which they were minded to approve. A specific requirement for notification to Scottish Ministers, relating to opencast coal sites within 500 metres of a community, was maintained and Ministers retain a general power to call-in any planning application for their own determination.
The Scottish Government is represented on the UK Coal Forum which beings together the industry, electricity generators, unions, equipment suppliers and others involved in the industry in order that important issues facing the industry can be discussed.
Scotland has two coal-fired power stations, Longannet and Cockenzie, which are both owned by Scottish Power. Together, the two stations provide approximately 33% of Scotland's electricity.