Banks start work at Rusha surface mine

Up to 50 new jobs to be created at new Scottish opencast coal mine in West Lothian

BANKS Mining, part of the Banks Group, have commenced preparatory operations at Rusha surface mine, situated near the village of Breich in West Lothian. Around 50 new jobs will be created over the next six months.

The company received permission to undertake operations at Rusha for a seven-year period, and once coaling is completed the 154ha site will be fully restored and landscaped to a mixture of woodland and agriculture.

Banks Mining estimate the opencast coal mine will contribute more than £5 million to the local economy every year through wages and other supply chain contributions. All the coal extracted will be utilized by Fergusson Group to fulfill supply contracts in the UK energy sector.

Preparatory works include the construction of the site compound, development of new crossing points over existing Scottish Water pipelines and archaeological investigations. Soil stripping will also take place in spring this year followed by initial excavations.

Noise reduction technologies developed by Banks will be utilized on site, along with a number of other measures that will minimize the impact of operations on local communities. Environmental audits will also be carried out on a quarterly basis to ensure that operations are being carried out to the agreed standards.

‘We’re very excited to be reaching this milestone, especially as it comes at a time when very few other firms are making this sort of investment in West Lothian,’ said Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Group.

‘The on- and off-site jobs that this scheme will support and the money that it will see entering the local economy will make a real difference to the area, as will a benefits fund that will support local community and environmental projects.’