Clean Coal investigates UCG sites

The licences have been granted at Canonbie, Dumfriesshire; Cromer, Norfolk; Humberside; Sunderland; and Swansea Bay. The combined coal reserves for the five sites are estimated at around one billion tonnes.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a method of converting deep-seam coals into syngas, a synthetic gas made up of hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Once extracted, it can either be piped or liquefied, allowing it to be used as feedstock for power generation, blast furnaces, gas-to-liquid processes or as a raw material in fertiliser production.

The UCG technology also allows CO₂ sequestration, the ability to separate, capture and potentially store the CO₂ produced in the gasification process.

The basic UCG process has two wells drilled into the coal, one for injection of the oxidants, another to bring the product gas to surface.

The studies will include seismic and borehole surveys and investigation areas range from 40 to 100km². The depths of the coal range from 500 to 1200m below ground.