COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A company has applied for a licence to extract gas from coal in Warwickshire.



Cluff Natural Resources wants to carry out deep underground coal gasification (UCG) by Bubbenhall, Princethorpe and Long Itchington.

The process involves putting oxidants down a borehole, which sets the coal burning and giving off synthesis gas (syngas), which generates electricity.

Unlike fracking to release shale gas UCG does not fracture underground rock, the firm said.

Algy Cluff, the firm's founder, said new technology meant drilling was possible horizontally as well as vertically, allowing access to seams previously untouched.

"The country is in danger of running out of fuel and we really need to explore getting the energy out," he said.

"We have been blessed with huge reserves of coal."

Most seams used in UCG are called "stranded", and the coal cannot be extracted by traditional mining techniques.

While fracking is speculative, UCG only happens where a seam has already been identified, Mr Cluff said.

If permission is granted by the Coal Authority, work would not start for at least four years.

"It's a long process," Mr Cluff said. "All we've done at the moment is apply for a licence.

"We'd have to convince ourselves it was worth it."

Warwickshire coal gas extraction plan 'shocking'


Bubbenhall residents say UCG will "ruin their village"

The first application in Britain to extract gas from coal inland has provoked an angry response in Warwickshire.

Cluff Natural Resources wants to carry out deep underground coal gasification (UCG) in and around Bubbenhall.

The company's founder, Algy Cluff, insisted the process was safe and was unlike fracking.

But campaign group Frack-Off said there has not been enough testing and UCG has never been used on this scale.

UCG is usually carried out under the sea, but new technology means drilling is possible horizontally as well as vertically, allowing access to seams previously untouched.

The process involves drilling deep into the ground and setting fire to the coal and extracting the resultant gas.

Miranda Aston, from Marton, which is close to the proposed drilling site, said: "This is shocking news - sometimes I think some people will not rest until all of our countryside has gone."

Patricia Greensall, from High Street, Marton, said she was worried that if the project goes ahead it will devalue her property. She added: "Had we had this information we would not have bought in Marton.

"Obviously that is how most potential buyers will now think."

Anti-UCG campaigner Gareth Herd, from Rugby, said: "It will be a blot on the landscape. We need to get over our addiction to fossil fuel."

Most seams used in UCG are called "stranded" as the coal cannot be extracted by traditional mining techniques.

Mr Cluff said: "If it wasn't safe we would not be allowed to drill.

"Unlike fracking, UCG does not involve chemicals and does not fracture the underground rock."

But Fred Sharp, 58, who has lived in Bubbenhall all his life, said: "It doesn't bother me, it ain't going to do me any harm. If they've got to get gas out then that's good."

The Coal Authority said: "There have been no licences granted for UCG onshore in Britain yet.

"The application by Cluff Natural Resources is still being processed.

"The licence application is for underground coal gasification only and does not involve fracking."

Leamington opponents of Warwickshire underground gas field plan meet


Organisers Gitta Ashworth, Sue Whelan Tracy, Ruth Wallsgrove, Juliet Carter

Scores of people have demonstrated their opposition to plans to transform a swathe of Warwickshire countryside into an underground gas field.

The first sub-regional group opposing a controversial energy extraction technique, know as Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), has been formed.

The Leamington group Gas field Free Leamington has been born out of county-wide No UCG Warwickshire and held its inaugural public meeting in Leamington on Thursday evening.

Around 60 people attended the two-hour meeting at Dormer Place Conference Centre to learn about the potential impact of the process.

Speakers from No UCG and anti extreme energy campaigners Frack Off spoke about technical aspects of the process and gave advice on how to oppose the plans.

Concern was initially raised when the Telegraph revealed Cluff Natural Resources had applied for a licence to explore coalfields underneath a huge area of Warwickshire countryside south of Ryton, roughly the size of Coventry.

The firm wants to drill into the coal and set fire to it in order to extract the gas produced, which would then be used to fuel a power station which would be built above.

If approved, it would be the first inland licence granted for UCG in the UK. Similar activities are traditionally carried out offshore.

Sue Whelan Tracy, co-founder of Gas field Free Leamington, said: “This is absolutely the right time to take action.

“We want to stop this. We think that if we can stop it here, we can stop it throughout the UK.

“We want other areas to form their own groups and have meetings. It’s about sharing information about what is proposed so that they can make the relevant people aware of how they feel if they have concerns.

“We have three actions; firstly we want people to contact Warwickshire County Council with their concerns armed with the relevant information. We want them to state they will not allow drilling under their land, and finally we want people to share information and hold meetings.”

The group believes they may have found a legal loophole which could prevent the project from getting off the ground.

Mrs Whelan Tracy said: “We want people to state they will not allow drilling under their homes because there is a legal precedent which suggests if you do not give permission for drilling under your home then a company would be trespassing.

“We would like to see a map of homes covered with little stars saying they will not allow drilling.

Secret talks on coal-gas station in Warwickshire countryside


Area where Underground Coal Gasification is planned

Highly secretive talks have been held between leading councillors in Warwickshire and energy company bosses.

The meeting between Warwickshire County Council chiefs and Cluff Natural Resources came as the London-based firm pursues a licence to explore coal fields under a huge swathe of Warwickshire countryside.

Confidentiality clauses prevented those in attendance from disclosing what had been discussed during the meeting and who was in attendance.

But millionaire oil baron Algy Cluff, the founder of Cluff Natural Resources, confirmed he had attended the meeting at Shire Hall, in Warwick, on Tuesday.

He said: “It was a confidential meeting and an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to them. The meeting was held at our request.”

Asked if there were plans to keep residents informed of the company’s plans, he said: “We don’t have a licence at the moment. If we did, we would.”

Warwickshire County Council leader Coun Izzi Seccombe is believed to have attended along with planning officials.

Green party councillor Jonathan Chilvers also confirmed he had been at the meeting and called on Cluff to reveal their plans for the area.

He said: “I think it’s down to Cluff to speak to local people about what might happen. They should be talking to people before a licence is granted from the coal authority.

“The county has to be careful. They have to go through a procedure. You can’t decide what you are going to do before entering a planning meeting.”

Cluff has applied for a licence to explore underground coal fields under an area of the county about the same size as Coventry and would stretch from Ryton-on-Dunsmore, through Bubbenhall, Weston-under-Wetherley, Hunningham, Princethorpe and Marton.

The firm has bid to the The Coal Authority, the government-appointed organisation responsible for managing the country’s coal, to explore the site with a view to undertaking underground coal gasification.

UCG is a technique which involves drilling deep into the ground and setting fire to coal underground before extracting the resulting gases and using them to generate power at a purpose-built station on the surface.

If successful, it would be the first time UCG has taken place inland rather than offshore and residents have raised concerns over safety.

Concerned protestors have held a series of meetings on the issue.

Huge plan to drill for coal in Warwickshire countryside put on ice after protests

Controversial plans to burn coal under a huge swathe of Warwickshire countryside have been shelved.

London-based Cluff Natural Resources applied for a licence to explore the county’s underground coal fields last summer.

Concerned campaigners launched a protest group to fight the proposal which could have created an undergound fuel supply for a power station.

The area at risk was roughly the size as Coventry and stretched from Ryton-on-Dunsmore, through Bubbenhall, Weston-under-Wetherley, Hunningham, Princethorpe and Marton.

Cluff wanted to investigate the county’s potential as a site for experimental underground coal gasification (UCG) - a technique which involves drilling underground and burning coal there before extracting resulting gases to fuel a purpose-built station on the surface.

But officials at Warwickshire County Council have now confirmed Cluff has written to them to say it intends to turn attention to other parts of the UK.

The council said the letter from Cluff came after the authority contacted the company to inform them that UCG was not an option it would be interested in allowing in the county.

Coun Izzi Seccombe, leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “The council responded to Cluff to state that this was not an option that they were interested in exploring.

“In the long-term, Warwickshire’s position on underground coal gasification (UCG) is that the technology remains largely untested, controversial and there is no clear indication of the financial and environmental impact that such an initiative could have on the county.”

The news will come as a huge relief to campaigners across the county who had vociferously opposed the plans ever since they were first reported by the Telegraph in August 2013.

However, the company’s application for a licence to explore the area is still with The Coal Authority, the government-appointed organisation responsible for managing the country’s coal.

If granted, the company could change its mind in the future as licences are valid for up to six years.

Gareth Herd, of campaign group NO UCG Warwickshire, said: “The current situation does not mean that UCG by Cluff will not happen in Warwickshire.

“We will be watching The Coal Authority for their reaction, we would fully expect them to now deny the application in progress.

"This is a source of uncertainty and anxiety, particularly in regard to property values. The Coal Authority should therefore clarify the position by refusing this application as soon as possible.”