The Development and Future of Underground Coal Gasification

Activity in Australia over the past decade has played a significant role in the resurgent interest in Underground Coal Gasification as a commercially viable technology. This paper discusses work undertaken there in the 1980’s, the development of the successful test burn at Chinchilla initiated in 1999, and obstacles to the rapid commercialization of the technology. Opportunities for the application of UCG technology in both developed and developing countries in the Asian region are discussed, and a description is given of Cougar Energy’s Kingaroy UCG project in Queensland, Australia