Thinking of Pontypridd, Ches, one of my jobs in the nineties was to look at Gethin 1 and 2 mines, next to Abercanaid in Merthyr. The site was up for potential development, but was also being sized up for coal-washing to release what useable coal was left in the slack, before it was all closed off.
My client really wanted to look at the site at the junction with the A470 to the south, but included the two mines mentioned above. They closed in the nineteen-twenties.
You know much better than me that the H and S requirements for what's left of the coal industry are cast in stone (pun not intended), and while the industry will never be the same, there might just be a niche requirement for your qualifications, because there are still companies on the lookout for opportunities.
Long shot? Maybe, but a few calls here and there might be useful.
We also had some dealings with Newport Docks as well, and there's a great place to go, especially with the bananas coming in at a rate of knots...