Events & Courses

An evening meeting organised by the Engineering Group of the Geological Society (EGGS).  This lecture will look in detail at how the coal was historically mined across South Wales by over 1600 mines and the industrial markets for the different types of coal and its many bi-products. The coalfield can be zoned, based on the spatial distribution and dates of historical mining, the types (rank) of coal mined, the markets for that coal and the complexity of geological structures. 

There are still some geographical areas of the coalfield remain unmined, why is this?  The impact of the rise and fall of industrial growth of coal mining from 1750-2000 and its impact on population migration in and out of South Wales will be explored. Today, with no working underground coal mines left in South Wales there are 21st century environmental legacies that still need to be tackled.  Is there possibly also opportunities that can be explored for extracting future sustainable heat energy from the abandoned coal mines across South Wales? 

The lecture will then conclude with the results of a recent FLEXIS / Bridgend CC feasibility study into the heat potential of mine water in abandoned coal mines.  The results of this feasibility study look positive and may lead onto a £10 Million working system providing community heating to over 150 houses.

Time:

5:30pm for 6pm start

Speaker: