NUM to invest £4 million into Hatfield Colliery.

This should ensure the mines future for two years. Source Radio Sheffield. Do we think that is a good thing. I, for one, think that this is good news, and there should be further reinvestment in the industry in our region. Given the price of fuel, we should invest in our own assets. This would help balance of payments, saving on future benefit payments etc.

 

Fantastic for the area and the men that work there.

I hope they have a good contract lawyer who ensures the money gets spent properly...

 

The damage is already done and the problem is that most companies now looking to extract coal will do it in the quickest, cheapest and dirtiest fashion that will provide few jobs as they just rape the land.
Just look at what is happening in the US
http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/what-is-mountaintop-removal-mining

Coal there for 2 years you say? We need to be looking more at renewable energy sources that are clean and efficient.

 

theres a lot more than 2 years reserves at hatfield,the investment is just to carry on mining for two years,the pit itself has enough reserves for decades if need be.

 

Who should invest and what reurn should they expect?

 

The people for the people

Not everything should be measured by cost it should also be measured by value

 

True. So who should invest and want return would they expect?

 

The Government. On behalf of The People

The return is avoiding the need to throw more people on the scrap heap, to avoid destroying yet another community, to avoid thousands in benefits and to secure some energy resources

 

So why haven't they. This government won't save northern communities. Now if they saw a reason to generate money in the south that's a different story. Thing is "a return" in today's global society typically means money. To be fair much of which keeps people in jobs and communities in tact. Whether we like it or not no Tory gov will even consider investing in an industry they killed.

 

I know mate. We can but hope

 

There was an awful lot of coal out that side of the region.

Markham Main at Armthorpe mined the Barnsley seam which was >2m thick

It amazes me to this day that our energy supplies have been handed over to foreigners

When the country is held to ransom. as it no doubt will be sometime in the future, I fear for the nation - inflation fueled by fuel inflation.......then the proletariat starts to want wage increases to compensate..... and the powers that be will deem the people greedy bar stewards deja vu anyone?

 

I worked at armthorpe for a bit wilko,I was on a face 14 feet thick.

 

Looks like the "return" is money after all. The NUM have loaned the 4m "on fully commercial terms that will pay the union a competitive, but undisclosed, rate of interest.

 

Don't know for a fact but I was told the coal seams at Hatfield/Thorne stretched as far as the coast and beyond under the north sea..
A lot of that will still be minable in years to come but the faces they are abandoning will never be able to be reworked.

 

I was in the Cost Office (calculating incentive/bonus payments amonst other things) during the reign of George Longmate as Manager.

Was there prior and post strike

 

I worked there when it was privatised under coal investments,the company didn't have the funds to run a pit like that which was a crying shames because they had big plans for the place.

 

it is a fact marlon,bore holes have been done to the east of thorne,all the way to the coast.

theres also coal all the way from Selby up to the vale of pickering.all proven reserves.The Selby project was in fact just a blue print for future developments in other areas of the country,

they might go for it once Sheikh Salmond turns the oil and gas taps off

 

My colleagues in the survey office there said there were vast reserves stretching out towards the east coast..........oh for a planned energy policy.............

If the worst comes to the worst and there is an energy shortage the people of our nation will be well & truly ducked (sp)

 

when I was at armthorpe they showed me the plans for the following 15 years and it was only the tip of the iceberg,there was talk of a surface drift being taken down somewhere near finningly.

we'll not see coal make a comeback here because of the whole climate change lobby whereas in china and india to name but two they are investing heavily in coal,these people wont be held to ransom by the middle east and Russia.

 

Didn't we lead the world in clean coal technology?