Cluff insists coal gas can help Scottish power generation

Cluff Natural Resources has restated its belief that underground coal gasification (UCG) can become part of the solution for Scotland’s energy future.

The company was responding to criticismfromenvironmentalgroup World Wide Fund for Nature about its lobbying of the UK Government for support for coal gas extraction under the Firth of Forth.

WWFsaidCluff’stacticssmacked of desperation, and called into question the viability of plans to burn coal under the Forth and elsewhere around the country.

The environmental group said the UCG plans should be a nonstarter, and the Scottish Government should extend its moratorium on unconventional gas extraction to include UCG.

“The science is clear; to protect our climate, the vast majority of fossil fuel reserves must remain unburned,” they stated.

The Scottish Government, which would have to give Cluff’s UCG project planning permission, is gather- ing information and facts on these matters before coming to a view.

Cluff Natural Resources yesterday said it has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament’s energy security inquiry.

The company maintains that deep offshore underground coal gasification, with carbon capture and storage, can boost Scotland’s energy security.

It can also benefit Scotland’s petrochemicals sector at Grangemouth and deliver Scotland a new offshore gas sector.

“The Scottish Government’s strong desire to see Longannet remain as a power plant, but powered by gas and not coal so to meet climate change targets, allows for the deep offshore underground coal gasification process to convert vast but abandoned Scottish coal resources to gas in a deep offshore location,” it stated.

“It can become part of the solution for Scotland’s energy future, potentially facilitate the long term future of power generation at Longannet and reduce overdependence on imports.”