A mining company is appealing its mandatory participation in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency (CRC) scheme.
ATH Resources, one of the UK’s largest coal producers, believes the electricity consumed by the 12km overhead conveyor at its Glenmuckloch opencast coal site in Dumfries and Galloway should be exempt from the CRC, and is appealing an enforcement notice served by the Environment Agency for failing to register in the first phase of the scheme.
ATH claims that if it fails to win an exemption from participation in the CRC its costs will increase by £1.4 million a year for three years from April 2011.
According to the company, the conveyor – Europe’s longest overland conveyor – transports 2.8 million tonnes of coal annually to its Crowbandsgate rail facility, removing 54,000 lorry journeys a year.
All organisations that had at least one half-hourly meter (HHM) settled on the half-hourly market in 2008, and whose annual electricity supply through HHMs that year was 6,000MWh or more, qualify for full participation in the CRC.
Qualifying organisations that fail to register risk being fined £5,000, plus a further £500 for each working day that passes before registration is complete.
The phase I deadline was 30 September 2010, so ATH is potentially facing a fine approaching £150,000 if its appeal is rejected. The appeal continues.
The news was followed by the publication of the first CRC performance league table, which ranked all the particpants in terms of the early actions they had taken to tackle emissions. The table was criticised for failing to provide enough differention between companies with more than 800 of the participants ranked in last place.
