Longannet Colliery

Overview

A large deep coal mine at Kincardine-on-Forth, Fife, that fed the adjoining Longannet Power Station and was, by the time of its sudden flooding in March 2002, the last operating deep coal mine in Scotland.

History

Longannet began production in 1969 as part of the Longannet Complex, a group of connected workings (including the Castlehill, Castlebridge and Solsgirth mines) built to supply coal directly to the new Longannet Power Station next door. It was run by the National Coal Board and its successor British Coal until the 1994 privatisation of the coal industry, after which it passed to Mining (Scotland) Ltd and then Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd.

Workings

The complex worked several seams, including the Upper Hirst, from connected underground workings; by 2000 the older Castlebridge section had ceased production and was sealed off from the still-active Kincardine workings by engineered underground dams.

Closure

See Disasters, below, for the March 2002 flooding that ended mining at Longannet.

What remains

The colliery shaft was capped and the surface buildings largely demolished; reopening was costed at up to £100 million and never pursued. The site, along with the adjoining power station, was completely flattened in 2019.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• The Longannet Flooding
  23 March 2002 · Flooding / Inundation · 0 fatalities
  On the evening of Saturday 23 March 2002, roadways near the bottom of the Castlehill section of the Longannet Complex flooded within minutes, most likely through or around an underground dam sealing off older, worked-out ground. Fifteen men underground at the time were evacuated safely; the mine never reopened, ending deep coal mining in Scotland.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Longannet was the last operating deep coal mine in Scotland at the time of its closure. (high) ^1,2
• The Castlebridge section of the complex ceased production around 2000 and was sealed off from the active Kincardine workings by underground dams. (high) ²
• The colliery and its adjoining power station were completely demolished by 2019. (high) ³

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Images

Sources

1. (secondary) Longannet coal mine — Wikipedia
2. (primary) The Circumstances Surrounding the Flooding of the Longannet Complex Mine, Fife, Scotland, 23 March 2002 — HM Inspectorate of Mines / Health and Safety Executive
3. (observational) Longannet Colliery, Fife, Jan. 2009 — 28DaysLater.co.uk
4. (primary) Mine plan: LONGANNET — BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans catalogue
5. (secondary) Pit-L-12. Longannet Mine (Longannet Complex) — fifepits.co.uk

Record created: 25 August 2026 · Last researched: 25 August 2026