Underground coal gasification by Cougar Energy.
Cougar Energy (now Moreton Resources) receives approval for trial UCG burn in Kingaroy in about 2009 - UCG involves burning coal underground and is different to CSG which raises water from the coal seam to extract gas trapped in the water.
Cougar Energy was charged under the Environmental Protection Act for these events, and DERM ordered the plant to close. Cougar Energy appealed this decision.
Linc Energy’s UCG operation at Chinchilla is now also subject to significant legal action by the Queensland Government.
- DERM doesn’t visit site before granting approval - site doesn't meet CSIRO requirements for UCG .
- Cougar Energy promotes the scheme as clean, green, safe technology, and themselves as world leaders in UCG technology.
- First trial burn (March 2010) experiences significant technical failure.
- July (2011), local MP Dorothy Pratt asks question in Estimates Hearings in parliament forcing internal DERM consultation re Cougar Energy trial.
- Cougar Energy notes monitoring bore benzene levels of about 84ppb (acceptable level 1ppb).
- Cougar Energy claims they didn't informed DERM of benzene levels because readings inaccurate.
- Cougar Energy not reporting to DERM as required.
- Cougar Energy conducts major share issue (capital raising venture) on stock exchange in week prior to public revelations.
- Cows across the road from the site show traces of benzene and toluene in their fat.
- Benzene detected in a 50m monitoring bore 250m away; toluene found in another monitoring bore at the same 50m depth.
- In following months, Cougar Energy required to submit many reports to DERM and is closely monitored on site by DERM officers.
Cougar Energy was charged under the Environmental Protection Act for these events, and DERM ordered the plant to close. Cougar Energy appealed this decision.
Linc Energy’s UCG operation at Chinchilla is now also subject to significant legal action by the Queensland Government.
Cougar Energy (now Moreton Resources) received approval to do a trial Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) burn of 20,000 tonnes in Kingaroy in about 2009.
This involves burning coal underground and then potentially converting it to syngas for use in the power generating industry. It is different to Coal Seam Gas (CSG) which raises water from the coal seam to extract gas trapped in the water.
DERM (Department of Environment and Resource Management) didn’t visit the site before granting the approval. The site did not fulfil any of the CSIRO requirements for a UCG site which should:
Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group formed to oppose the trial concerned with research that suggested it would be problematic. This was based on the Hoe Ck. experience in the USA, several other similar trials, and published research.
Cougar Energy promoted the scheme as
After the first couple of days of the trial burn (March 2010), something went significantly wrong at the plant, as everyone commented that there appeared to a no sign of continued action. Cougar Energy did say at its local community meeting that one of the pipes had “gummed up”.
In July (2011), local MP Dorothy Pratt asked a question in Estimates Hearings in parliament that forced DERM to consult within its department about the Cougar Energy trial.
It was revealed that Cougar Energy had noted benzene levels in its monitoring bore of about 84ppb (acceptable level 1ppb). They claim to have not informed DERM of these levels because they believe the readings to be inaccurate.
It was also discovered that
Cougar Energy had also done a major share issue (capital raising venture) on the stock exchange in the week prior to the event being exposed publicly in parliament and in the media.
Five cows across the road were fat tested, and all showed traces of benzene and toluene in their fat. No other Qld cattle have recorded these traces. Cougar Energy dismissed these findings by saying it could be caused by a farmer using a tractor near cattle. KCCG research confirms that these cattle were downwind from the UCG site, and the prevailing autumn wind during the 3 day burn trial were from the south east towards the paddock in which the cattle were grazing.
Mysteriously, although UCG burn cavity was in coal at 200m depth, benzene was detected in a 50m monitoring bore 250m away and toluene was found in another monitoring bore at the same 50m depth.
In the months that followed, Cougar Energy was required to submit many reports to DERM and was closely monitored on site by DERM officers.
The cause of the “significant underground event” has never been conclusive determined, but was most likely from a sudden influx of water onto the super-hot burning coal, and was then converted into steam and steam pressure. The other theory is some sort of underground explosion occurred.
The result of this event was that the triple cased bore casing rose out of the ground twice, and the steel piping that takes the gas from underground to treatment failed. This would have allowed gases (benzene and toluene) to escape untreated. Benzene is heavier than air and would have hugged the ground as it moved with the wind towards the paddock across the road. This would explain these carcinogenic substances appearing in the fat of the five tested cattle.
Cougar Energy has now been charged under the Environmental Protection Act for these events, and DERM has ordered the plant to close. Cougar Energy appealed this decision.
Another UCG operation, conducted by Linc Energy at Chinchilla is now subject to significant legal action by the Queensland Government.
This involves burning coal underground and then potentially converting it to syngas for use in the power generating industry. It is different to Coal Seam Gas (CSG) which raises water from the coal seam to extract gas trapped in the water.
DERM (Department of Environment and Resource Management) didn’t visit the site before granting the approval. The site did not fulfil any of the CSIRO requirements for a UCG site which should:
- Not be near potable water
- Not be near a town or closely settled areas
- Not be on prime agricultural land
Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group formed to oppose the trial concerned with research that suggested it would be problematic. This was based on the Hoe Ck. experience in the USA, several other similar trials, and published research.
Cougar Energy promoted the scheme as
- a clean coal alternative
- said that they were world leaders in UCG technology,
- that the site was ideal for a UCG trial,
- that the site was geological stable, and the Government stringent requirements would protect from potential harm.
- insisted they were a company committed to openness and community accountability.
- insisted the concerns being raised by KCCG were unfounded.
After the first couple of days of the trial burn (March 2010), something went significantly wrong at the plant, as everyone commented that there appeared to a no sign of continued action. Cougar Energy did say at its local community meeting that one of the pipes had “gummed up”.
In July (2011), local MP Dorothy Pratt asked a question in Estimates Hearings in parliament that forced DERM to consult within its department about the Cougar Energy trial.
It was revealed that Cougar Energy had noted benzene levels in its monitoring bore of about 84ppb (acceptable level 1ppb). They claim to have not informed DERM of these levels because they believe the readings to be inaccurate.
It was also discovered that
- they had not been reporting to DERM as required,
- that a major event had taken place at the plant,
- that the 84ppb sample was taken from the gasification chamber and incorrectly relabelled as being from a monitoring bore.
Cougar Energy had also done a major share issue (capital raising venture) on the stock exchange in the week prior to the event being exposed publicly in parliament and in the media.
Five cows across the road were fat tested, and all showed traces of benzene and toluene in their fat. No other Qld cattle have recorded these traces. Cougar Energy dismissed these findings by saying it could be caused by a farmer using a tractor near cattle. KCCG research confirms that these cattle were downwind from the UCG site, and the prevailing autumn wind during the 3 day burn trial were from the south east towards the paddock in which the cattle were grazing.
Mysteriously, although UCG burn cavity was in coal at 200m depth, benzene was detected in a 50m monitoring bore 250m away and toluene was found in another monitoring bore at the same 50m depth.
In the months that followed, Cougar Energy was required to submit many reports to DERM and was closely monitored on site by DERM officers.
The cause of the “significant underground event” has never been conclusive determined, but was most likely from a sudden influx of water onto the super-hot burning coal, and was then converted into steam and steam pressure. The other theory is some sort of underground explosion occurred.
The result of this event was that the triple cased bore casing rose out of the ground twice, and the steel piping that takes the gas from underground to treatment failed. This would have allowed gases (benzene and toluene) to escape untreated. Benzene is heavier than air and would have hugged the ground as it moved with the wind towards the paddock across the road. This would explain these carcinogenic substances appearing in the fat of the five tested cattle.
Cougar Energy has now been charged under the Environmental Protection Act for these events, and DERM has ordered the plant to close. Cougar Energy appealed this decision.
Another UCG operation, conducted by Linc Energy at Chinchilla is now subject to significant legal action by the Queensland Government.