Longannet

(A Photograph will appear here, as soon as I have one available)

Background

The last deep mine of any significance in Scotland, Longannet is the remnant three mines which were established in the 1960's. The original mines were developed to provide fuel for the 2,400MW Longannet power station.

The Castlebridge site forms the main administration and access site, and the Longannet portal is the delivery point for all output from the mine.

Two other sites make up the entire complex, these being the Castlehill and Solsgirth drifts.

Scottish Coal acquired the mine in 1995.

The workable area of the Longannet mine is subjected to major faulting and work is carried out in blocks between the fault lines. The only seam being worked is the Upper Hirst, which lays at a depth of about 400m and has a section between 1.8m and 3.5m.

The mine boundaries are formed by faults, worked out areas, and areas of inferior conditions.

Two main licence areas contain the reserves and resources available to be mined. The first is in the currently mined Castlebridge/Solsgirth/Castlehill area, plus an area of the Kincardine prospect.

Planning permission will be required to access the second reserve, which is formed by the bulk of the Kincardine area.

Also, this second reserve lays beneath the Firth of Forth, which is less well explored than the Longannet area.

The Devon Valley area, to the north west, holds an additional amount of resources but has less attractive mining potential than the Kincardine due to higher ash content and inferior mining conditions.

At around 1000m in depth, the Bannockburn seam is as rich as the Upper Hirst and is present in similar quantities.

Into the Future...

Due to geological problems and short face runs, Longannet has been only moderately successful with it's workings in the current area.

The mine's future lays in exploiting the Kincardine reserves, though further exploration and marine seismic tests will be required to ascertain the full potential of this area.

Major investment has already been made in accessing the Kincardine area, with two drivages been constructed in 1998. The extraction of coal from this area gives the mine a secure future for some years to come.

Another bonus is the fact that the mine is situated close to a major power station, so coal transport costs will prove to be minimal.

Update - March 2002

A terrible tragedy led to the premature closure of the Longannet complex.
Millions of gallons of water flooded into the underground workings, effectively ending coal mining in Scotland. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, and those who were down the mine at the time escaped safely.