Scottish Coal, the last major coal company in Scotland, is involved in exploratory talks with landowners to exploit what has been described as the "biggest untapped reserve of coal in Scotland". Development is some months away but it is thought the project could eventually yield up to 2,000 jobs. The company has been at the forefront of developing ‘clean coal technology (CCT), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power stations, and the low-sulphur, high quality Canonbie coking coal is regarded as ‘green, making it more acceptable to environmentalists. Coal is becoming increasingly attractive while oil prices remain high and North Sea gas reserves are depleted. The governments reluctance to confront public anxiety over the expansion of nuclear options is a further boost to coal. Scottish Coal still employs more than 1,000 people across the central belt at its opencast mines in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Fife, and supplies 4.3 million tonnes of coal annually to the power industry. It has lodged planning applications for more opencast mines, including three in the Douglas Valley in South Lanarkshire - but these are likely to meet objections from residents concerned about the environmental impact. New Scottish Executive guidelines, opposed by Scottish Coal, are slanted against increased opencast activity in former deep mining areas. Professor Ross Harper, chairman of Scottish Coal, said: "Coal is proving each year to be more and more important to the economic life of Scotland. "At the same time, we are actively trying to overcome some of the environmental problems of coal by mixing it with biomass to reduce sulphur emissions. "We are seeking to increase production to make Britain less dependent on imported energy." Harper declined to confirm or deny an interest in Canonbie but said: "We are exploring a number of possibilities but I cannot say any more as these are commercially sensitive." Difficulties in obtaining planning permission for opencast pits and growing worldwide demand for coal make Canonbie a desirable option. Bill Kennedy, the former head of planning for British Coals Scottish area, said: "There are millions of tonnes in the Canonbie reserves. There is as much coal in Canonbie as there ever was in the Lothians. It is the biggest untapped reserve in Scotland. "I would be delighted if mining at Canonbie went ahead. There are geological difficulties but the coal is high-quality, low in sulphur, and is there in vast quantities." Coal is still the UKs single biggest source of electricity, despite the closure of mines in the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in the number of miners in Scotland falling from 30,000 after the 1984 strike to a mere handful. Forecasts by the International Energy Agency have indicated that about 38% of the worlds electricity will still be generated from coal by 2020. Brian Wilson MP, the former energy minister, said: "There is no doubt that coal will and should play a major part in Britains energy future. "If Scotland can become a key player in CCT, then the potential for export and supply is limitless. In principle, I would support Canonbie being opened up for production, of course, as long as it is done along the right lines and in tandem with CCT. "Britain is well advanced in clean coal technology and if we could establish the proven technology here in Scotland, the potential for exporting it to the rest of the world is enormous." Former Scottish National Union of Mineworkers president George Bolton said: "This is tremendous news and is so much common sense." PIN//Scotsman