Key facts: Aberpergwm coal mine expansion

Coal & refuse to be excavated: 72 million tonnes in total – 30 million tonnes of which will be “middling” coal to be dumped or put back into the coal mine.

Coal to be sold: 42 million tonnes during the life of the extension

CO2: 100-120 million tonnes of CO2, according to uses listed below (2022 BEIS Conversion Factors)

Methane: up to 1.17 million tonnes of methane, a powerful climate accelerant

Coal operator (mining company): Energybuild Ltd/Energybuild Mining Ltd.

Type: Anthracite with some lower-grade coal

Claimed uses:

The planning application said power stations and steel works. With Aberthaw power station closed, Energybuild now talks of Pulverised injection for steelmaking, household heating, cement, and water filtration.

County Council Local Planning Authority: Neath Port Talbot

Address: Glynneath, Neath, SA11 5AJ

Physical size: Because this is an underground mine, much of the excavation would be invisible but very real, as communities victim to flooding mine shafts have experienced. The underground tunnelling has permission to extend to 2.3km squared, taking you roughly half an hour to walk from one side of the tunnels to the other. And this doesn’t factor in the vertical shafts, sending offshoots that go beneath the River Dulais.

Time: Planning permission to mine coal until 2039 (this is often subsequently extended).