Extraction of coal in in Scotland may see a revival if plans for an Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) project continue, and it could even be happening in or near Seafield.

Thornton New Energy (TNE) has been granted the UK's first licence from the Coal Authority to drill into coalfields and convert the coal into a combustible gas (a technique devised by the Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay) and then pipe it back to the surface to be burnt to create electricity and/or heat, as well as possibly some hydrogen and a form of diesel.

The granting of a licence is no guarantee that this will proposal will get final approval to go ahead, and actions at this stage will be purely a fact-finding exercise.

According to the company’s website:

“There will be a phased development that will cumulate in a zero emission power plant running on hydrogen. The intension(sic) of [the operation] is to be carbon neutral, with the CO2 being placed in long term geological storage.

The appraisal stage has begun and will last for up to three years while the geology of the mine and the CO2 Sequestration sites are studied. The timescale for the power plant will be confirmed following consultation with the local community and other interested parties.”

Pros and Cons

Thankfully, the plant that would be required is more like an oil rig than an old-fashioned coal mine, and so would be much smaller and less intrusive. According to an article in The Times the current alternatives to Oil and Gas are just not enough to keep us going and that UCG would have the following advantages:

• does not endanger lives underground
• does not ruin the countryside with open-cast mining work
• not involve high transport and labour costs
• would cost less than either mining coal or buying oil and gas from elsewhere
• we would have security of supply

The main concern we would have regarding such a plant at Seafield would be

• escaped gases and possibly wildlife poisoning from dissolution of any gases into seawater.
• noise disturbance to seal colonies and birds during drilling works

Selections from the UCG Partnership’s FAQ page

“Strict controls are imposed on the by-products of combustion produced underground, and the operating design ensures that leakage to the surrounding strata cannot take place. Modern UCG operates in a negative pressure with respect to the adjacent strata so that outward flow from the cavity is prevented at all times.”

“The gases are hazardous (like natural gas) but pipeline construction for high pressure gases is well tested technology designed to eliminate gas escapes and providing the highest level of protection”

“The environmental impacts of a UCG process are visual and acoustic, and also include air emissions and groundwater impact. Like any geological extraction process, the geological and hydrogeological risks of UCG have to be carefully managed.

Control has advanced considerably since the early UCG trials and all UCG processes now have active control of the operational conditions in the cavity to ensure an inward flow of groundwater and to prevent gas seepage. The contaminant risk and product gas quality from potential UCG sites is fully assessed in advance and would be monitored during and after operations”

We will try to get in touch and look forward to hearing from the company with regards to the potential environmental impacts at Seafield…

See also:

BCG Ltd, and general info on UCG

BBC article - Clean coal technology: How it works

The Coal Authority – general info on Coal Gasification.

The UCG Partnership – Frequently Asked Questions including environmental and public safety topics

Fife Courier - Return of King Coal in Scotland

The Times Online – How Coal is the Future

Fife Herald article on similar proposals that never came to fruition.

Tags: coal