§ Jon TrickettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what communications she has had with UK Coal plc relating to the possibility of continued state aid for the Prince of Wales Colliery beyond the present expiry date for state aid; and what her estimate is of(a) accessible coal reserves at the Prince of Wales colliery and (b) the cost of accessing these reserves. [42223]
§ Mr. WilsonNo state aid has been paid in respect of the Prince of Wales Colliery, and I have received no request for such aid.
IMC Group Consulting Ltd undertook a detailed review of the Prince of Wales Colliery on behalf of the DTI in January. This examined the extent of reserves and the costs of their access in a number of possible development scenarios. It concluded that there were no areas that would sustain long-term viable production. The report is available on the DTI website on http://www2.dti.gov.uk/energy/pow/pdf.