ANTI-open cast coal activist groups have welcomed the news that Aberthaw Power Station will be reducing its output from April next year.

Campaigners have said that they hope the news will put a stop to plans for more open-cast mines across south Wales with others calling for Aberthaw's permanent closure

Aberthaw owners RWE have said that the power station will only be operating during the winter and at times of extreme demand, in order to secure the future of operations in the challenging energy market.

With 600 at risk, a spokeswoman for Aberthaw said it is too early to speculate on what impact the reduction will have on employment. Responding to the news Friends of the earth Cymru have said that they believe this is a sign of Aberthaw's "imminent closure".

Now, coal activist groups across south Wales have said they welcome the news of the reduced hours and have called for the station to close completely.

Chris Austin secretary of the United Valleys Action Group said that the mining of coal to feed Aberthaw power station has had a serious impact on the environment and people and hoped that the news of reduced hours would have a knock-on effect for plans for two more open cast mines in south Wales.

“We have suffered noise and dust from the massive Ffos-y-fran opencast mine for eight years," he said. "An operation justified by Aberthaw's 'need' for the coal.

"We hope that this announcement now means that the two applications for new mines will be refused or withdrawn as there is no longer a Welsh customer for the coal."

Campaigners have been fighting two new applications to mine in south Wales, both of which were expected to supply Aberthaw, if approved. This announcement is welcome as it means that these applications are now unlikely to be approved.

Sarah Squires from the Coal Action Network said: “We welcome any changes which reduce Aberthaw power station's consumption of coal and any reductions in coaling from south Wales, however we cannot celebrate an increase in coal imports.

"Coal imports are causing the displacement of indigenous communities living sustainably in Colombian and Russian coalfields and vast ecological destruction. The solution is to close Aberthaw power station completely,”