Australian Rare Earths

Australian Alternative Energy Forum


Not Really a Forum, more of my memory aid.


Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.


Go Back   Alternative Energy Forums > Alternative Energy Discussion > UCG (undeground coal gasification)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-26-2010, 09:09 AM
Sparty Sparty is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,765
Default LNC's UCG plant to create 1,000 jobs

Coal plant set to create 1,000 jobs
KELLIE HIGGINBOTTOM
26 May, 2010 04:46 PM


Orroroo is known to many as the gateway to the Flinders Ranges, but it is now set to become the site of the country's first commercial underground coal gasification (UCG) plant, as energy company Linc Energy surge ahead with their plans for the region.

Coal gasification is not such a new process, but the process of utilising burnt gas and coal in deeper and harder to reach places, such as the ancient coal seam identified in the Orroroo region in South Australia, is a new concept.

Considered to be of low-value coal due to the seam's depth, which makes it unsuitable for traditional coal mining, and with accessible groundwater, the site is a prime candidate for UCG.

The site is also located just 40 kilometres from 275 kilovolts transmission lines.

UCG processes have being trialled extensively by Linc Energy in Queensland and an operational plants overseas, but this commercial project will be the first commercial plant of it's kind in Australia.

The scale of the project is anticipated to be large enough to supply the local energy market with around 500 megawatts of electricity, around two-thirds of the production output of the Port Augusta power station, and it is hoped also that in time the plant will also incorporate a highly productive gas to liquids facility that is aiming to produce 20,000 barrels of the liquid each day.

While a furthering a reliance on fossil fuels has the potential to delay the time it takes for greater interest and investment in renewable-energy technologies, the intermediate potential of UCG has a lot of people very excited.

More than a thousand jobs are said to be created as a result of the industrial project that would attract increased infrastructure and capital spending and other social benefits to the region, as the project comes to fruition.

Jobs are already being advertised for pre-production stage works that include the construction and commissioning of the UCG generator five, which is anticipated to provide the project with the valuable site specific UCG gas generation experience.

The State Government is backing the project and has invested much research and development with other key-stakeholders to better utilise underground coal seams such as the large deposit at Orroroo.

Residents of Orroroo are acutely aware of what more doctors, and nurses, emergency personnel, and sports players would mean to their town and increased spending on infrastructure and other capital works would also be welcomed by the community ? but at what environmental cost is yet to be determined.

A resource statement in accordance with the Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) code is expected for company rigs that have been mobilised in the basin since January, to both appraise and refine the coal resource, while it is hoped that hydro-geological information gathered from the drilled piezometer wells in the Walloway Basin will assist the company with the preparation of environmental submissions for the first trial UCG operation.

Read about Underground Coal Gasification on http://www.UCG-GTL.com

 

Disclaimer: The author of this post, may or may not be a shareholder of any of the companies mentioned in this column. No company mentioned has sponsored or paid for this content. Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.

Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-26-2010, 09:28 AM
Sparty Sparty is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,765
Default Shame on Anna Bligh

What a shame that Anna Bligh chose to drive Linc Energy out of commercializing their rather ample Qld coal seams. She didn't think it through... and seemed to have been sold a pup - in essence that UCG and CSM were mutually exclusive.

But LINC have to be congratulated on their foresight in acquiring many billions of deep coal in the friendly SA jurisdiction via their Sapex acquisition.


The largest prize of Australian underground deep coal suitable for UCG is held by CTP and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat to see who takes them out... RIO has just moved in next door to their Perdika leases with CTP owning over a trillion tons of UCG suitable coal.... game on.

Read about CTP: http://www.australian-shares.com/mining/CTP

 

Disclaimer: The author of this post, may or may not be a shareholder of any of the companies mentioned in this column. No company mentioned has sponsored or paid for this content. Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.

Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:54 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.