Coal mines to yield their gas
15 Jan 2000
The government has announced that it is to investigate issuing licences to extract gas from coal seams. This would make use of an untapped reserve, according to science and energy minister John Battle.
'Iwould like to see coal bed methane reserves gas trapped in coal seams exploited wherever possible, particularly in coal which is unlikely to be mined but also from potentially recoverable coal where extracting the gas beforehand could enhance mine safety,' Battle comments. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, he notes, so extracting it before it escapes also has environmental benefits.
The gas would not be piped into the national grid, but would be burned in local power stations.
