Chinchilla’s UCG Facility Closed Down And Moved Off Chinchilla’s UCG (Underground Coal Gasification) demonstration facility will be closed down and shipped to Asia due to what owners, Linc Energy, describe as unfair and unreasonable treatment by the Queensland State Government.

Linc Energy To Face Court Over Coal Plant Government alleges 'environmental harm' at underground coal gasification plant in Queensland.

---

Wyoming Reached Out To Queensland Officials

Do UK ministers know if any of the companies that have been issued UCG licenses in the UK by the Coal Authority intend using any of Linc Energy's technology or processes?

Before any UCG takes place in the UK we need to understand what serious environmental damage is alleged to have been caused a result of (even highly experienced) Linc Energy's UCG trial and what caused the government to charge Linc Energy with 4 counts of causing serious harm to the environment - and we need to know if the new UK UCG companies plan to follow Linc Energy's model or use any of the techniques or technologies used in their Chinchilla trial offshore or near off shore ? If 3 out of 3 (100%) of small scale UCG trials (using world leading technology) in Australia have resulted in the Australian government taking all three of the UCG companies involved in the UCG trials to court over breaches of environmental legislation causing environmental damage - imagine the consequences if these had not been small scale trials, but instead full scale commercial industrial scale schemes - currently licensed to go ahead conditionally in the UK.

 

---

Is The UK Government Being As Responsible As The Queensland Government?

This latest court case, announced just 3 weeks ago demonstrates exactly why the Queensland government is right to continue their ban on commercial industrial scale UCG in Queensland as this is in the public interest - is the UK government being as responsible as the Queensland government and on the basis of this latest court case MP's and councillors must ask themselves- should we be doing the same as Queensland and revoke all UCG licenses in the UK - and insist the government forces each UCG company to undertake a small scale trial under strict government supervision over a period of years to also allow the UK government, legislators, including MP's and councillors, to assess the technical viability and environmental sustainability of the UCG technologies each company proposes to use before deciding if UCG was safe and ready for commercial industrial scale roll out by each company in each of the current UCG licensing areas around the UK .

No UCG project is the same - as each UCG project's success and safety is based on topography, geology, water aquifer locations of the environment, the thickness and depth of the coal seam and the geology of the ground above, below and around the coal seam, the technologies to be used and the experience of using these technologies on a commercial industrial scale by a UCG company with a license.

 

---

Geology In Australia Is Completely Different To The Geology In The UK

The Geology in Australia is completely different from the Geology of UK on shore and off shore and we cannot rely on results in other countries before deciding to roll out UCG in the UK - the safety in the UK can only be ascertained by following the Queensland Government's approach by testing these technologies in small scale trials before any industrial scale UCG can be undertaken in the country at all - especially regarding near off-shore as press reports indicated UCG technology is not yet proven near off shore (indicating worldwide UCG trials to date have only been undertaken on shore - yet the first 2 companies in the UK that have announced they are ready to roll - both propose their first UCG attempt will be near off shore)

This latest announcement 5 weeks ago that after a nine month investigation the Queensland government is taking Linc Energy to court where the government has accused Linc Energy of causing "serious environmental harm" at a trial underground coal gasification plant near the town of Chinchilla - needs urgent investigation and to be studied by the UK government and every MP and councillor in the UK, especially in areas where COALition ministers and officials in DECC and UK Coal Authority have already issued UCG licenses - as we must understand the lessons from the comprehensive trials undertaken in other countries before we allow any UCG processes to be undertaken in the UK.

 

---

UCG Trials In Australia Result In 3 Out Of 3 Of The UCG Companies Being Taken To Court

When UCG trials in Australia result in 3 out of 3 (100%) of the UCG companies involved in the trials being taken to court (2 of them found guilty and admitting their guilt and one still to have what appears to be a far more severe case heard - serious questions must be asked about the COALition government's current UCG strategy and the wisdom of the mass issue of UCG licenses across the UK to brand new UCG companies who appear to have absolutely no experience in running successful industrial scale commercial plants producing gas in the UK.

What makes this announcement regarding government allegations of of serious environmental damage caused by Linc Energy Chinchilla UCG trial is on Linc Energy claim on their website

If the Queensland government's investigation results in Linc Energy being found guilty in court - and this plant is meant to be implementing "world leading practice in UCG" -  we must take this into account before any company is allowed to undertake UCG operations in the UK.