Leading climate and environmental groups across Wales strongly reject recent calls to reopen coal mines and return to fossil fuel-powered heavy industry. Instead, they highlight the major opportunities of the clean energy transition for Wales: creating high-quality jobs, attracting investment into communities, and strengthening our energy security.
Climate Cymru calls for a clean energy transition, not coal mines in Wales
Climate Cymru is urging political leaders to focus on accelerating the clean energy transition. It has set out a strategy for this to plot a path to green, clean energy future that leaves polluting coal industries in the past.
Firstly, it calls on politicians to support an economic transition that prepares workers for the industries of tomorrow. Long term security for steel means investing in new processing facilities, backing green technologies, and retraining the workforce for a clean industrial future. Embracing innovations like Electric Arc Furnaces will help protect Wales from global market volatility, including price shocks, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions.
Alongside this, it is asking political leaders to recognise that climate policy is not the problem. The challenges places like Port Talbot face are the result of decades of underinvestment and policy uncertainty, not climate goals. When done right, climate action can lead to cleaner air, better jobs, and stronger local economies. In fact, the net zero economy in Wales contributed £3bn last year, and across the UK, it grew three times faster than the wider economy. This is not a choice between jobs and the environment, Wales can and must deliver both.
Climate Cymru argues that to do this, the UK and Welsh governments need to develop a long-term industrial strategy. Wales needs long-term investment and a clear industrial strategy between the Welsh and UK governments. This needs to be focused on protecting livelihoods, supporting green industries, and delivering real benefits for local communities. Both governments need to work with, not do things to communities, so as to shape the shared solutions to the cost of living, climate and nature crises. There needs to be genuine buy-in to these exciting ideas, so that communities don’t feel ignored.
No sense going back to ‘last century’s fuel’
Finally, Climate Cymru notes that a future avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis won’t be possible without enhanced investment in renewables.
The opportunity for investment in renewables is huge (£47bn predicted by 2035), and figures suggest that renewables could provide an additional £6.9bn in GVA over the next decade; 7,980 new jobs; and £1.9bn in tax revenue.
Wales could put its former coalfields to future use. Instead of reopening mines, it could harness deep coal mines for geothermal heating.
So Climate Cymru argues that political leaders could transform Wales’ industrial legacy into a sustainable, low-carbon energy source for communities across the nation.
Policy campaigner at Coal Action Network Anthony Collins said:
There is no sense going back in time to use last century’s technology with last century’s fuel. There is a use for old mines, but it is no longer about extracting coal from them. We need to be using them for heat networks to heat communities, lower bills and lower emissions. This will help people in Wales to heat their homes, provide new jobs and feel pride in their community’s mining heritage without returning to the dangerous old jobs of yesteryear.
Head of politics and advocacy at Climate Cymru Bethan Sayed added:
‘Wales’ industrial heartlands deserve a secure future, not a managed decline. By investing in green steel, retraining our workforce, and empowering communities, we can build a resilient, prosperous Wales where cleaner air, better jobs, and a thriving local economy work hand in hand to benefit all of our futures.’
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.