Is PCE going to extract coal seam methane before igniting the...

Is PCE going to extract coal seam methane before igniting the coal and injecting water to get CO/H2? After all, the coal seams will have to be progressively dewatered to enable the partial combustion that is the start of the Underground Coal Gasification process and such dewatering will release the adsorbed gas. Even a two-stage process with and initial full dewatering to release the methane, a period of reflooding by natural flow from neighbouring aquifers to re-establish flooded conditions prior to controlled partial dewatering to control combustion for UCG would seem possible and even quite profitable.

Is there methane associated with the Cougar Energy deep coal seams? It would seem likely given the deep layers of overburden preventing primordial venting and implying older coal, and therefore longer for gas to develop.

Given all the hype over QGC, CH4, Howard's coming conversion to carbon taxes, premium prices for gas etc. etc there is considerable potential for extracting a premium for the methane before developing the lower priced, lower thermal content and lower safety syngas.

Is this part of Cougar's plan?