§ 23. Mr. William PowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the future of the opencast coal sector.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerOpencast coal is one of the cheapest forms of energy available to this country. It is not for Government to set targets, but it is clearly in the national interest to maximise production where that can be done in an environmentally acceptable way. I therefore welcome British Coal's plans to increase opencast production above its present levels where possible.
There is inevitably concern about the impact of opencast mining on the environment. British Coal share that concern and its restoration techniques and its techniques for minimising disturbance while mining takes place are second to none. I would hope that those who oppose opencast mining would look carefully at what British Coal has achieved.
Opencast coal is also important for British Coal's deep mines. It enables some deep mine production, which would otherwise be unsaleable, to be made acceptable to customers; and it generates profits which can be used to finance investment in improving deep mine productivity.