Former open cast site plans

A disused open cast mining site in Derbyshire is due to be used as a wind farm in the future if plans come to fruition.

UK Coal currently own the site at Somercotes and the company is considering using the land to locate three wind turbines.

It is one of several collieries in the East Midlands being considered as possible sites for wind farms, with pits at Rufford, Thoresby and Harworth, all in Nottinghamshire, also possibilities.

A spokesman for UK Coal said "It will take several months to evaluate each of these sites, and we then have to take a decision as to whether we proceed. If we do, there would be a planning process, which itself might take a year. Actually building and commissioning the turbines can be done relatively rapidly. UK Coal has something like 40,000 acres of land across the country, so in principle there will be a lot of sites where you could put wind farms."