The process, which is similar to shale fracking, has been ruled out in Scotland pending a public health impact assessment. But the Westminster government has already issued over 30 licenses allowing developers to plan pilot projects.
Underground coal gasification, deemed “risky and experimental” by environmental campaigners, involves blasting underground coal still seams with enough heat to cause gas to be released and extracted through a separate well.
The process has not been tested at commercial scale in the UK, but the Scottish government has said that no further work will be allowed to take place until it has carried out a public health impact assessment set to last until summer 2016.
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing said the moratorium “underlines the Scottish government policy of taking a precautionary, robust and evidence-based approach to this technology in stark contrast to the gung-ho approach of the UK government.”
The Scottish government has already ruled out any shale gas exploration while the UK’s Conservative-led government has voiced consistent support for the practice despite overwhelming local opposition.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) told Utility Week that Westminister is still “working to better understand its potential as well as environmental and other implications”.
“Underground coal gasification could provide benefits to our energy mix but it has not yet been tested here on a commercial scale and is not currently in operation anywhere in the UK,” Decc added.
Decc’s coal authority has already issued over 30 conditional licences which allow licensees to plan pilot coal gasification projects. Companies wishing to follow through with projects beyond the planning stage will need to satisfy the Coal Authority that all relevant permissions, environmental permits and the consent of the Health and Safety Executive are in place.
Decc did not respond to queries on how the government plan to investigate the impacts of underground coal gasification.