AN EXPLORATION company attempting to tap into vast reserves of...

AN EXPLORATION company attempting to tap into vast reserves of gas beneath South Wales has new plans to extract the lucrative resource on Bridgend farmland.

Coastal Oil and Gas Limited believes there is enough methane gas locked in coal beds under the fields near Llangeinor, in the Garw Valley, to last 15 years.

If approved by Bridgend council, the coal bed methane would be extracted 24 hours a day until 2026-27.

The gas would be piped underground to a generator housed in a farm shed that would turn it into electricity to be sold to the National Grid.

The firm believes the scheme could be the beginning of a new, ?relatively clean? form of energy that could boost the South Wales economy.

Village residents, however, are concerned about the potential for pollution.

Coastal Oil and Gas Limited hit the headlines earlier this year when it submitted plans to test drill for shale gas in Llandow, in the Vale of Glamorgan.

That proposal is now on hold, but the Bridgend-based firm and its exploration partner, Eden Energy, believe South Wales could be sitting on gas reserves worth an estimated ?70bn.

Extracting the shale gas is highly controversial, however, as it involves a method known as ?fracking?, whereby water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground.

Gerwyn Williams, director of Coastal Oil and Gas Limited, yesterday stressed that the Llangeinor proposal does not involve any fracking.

Instead, the gas will flow naturally from the borehole to the surface.

Initial testing, which is already taking place, shows there is ?very high quality? gas reserves beneath Cwmcedfyw Farm.

The main environmental concern surrounds the borehole water, which can be contaminated when it is brought up to the surface with the gas.

Initially, the water will be removed off site to be treated at Cilfynydd treatment plant. It?s expected one tanker will visit the farm every day for the first three months.

Under a worst case scenario, it?s predicted about 3,000 gallons could be produced a day.

Mr Williams said if the water proves to be uncontaminated, the firm will apply for a licence from the Environment Agency to discharge the water in a nearby watercourse.

Nathalie Shek, a resident of nearby Llangynwyd, had concerns about noise and traffic. She said: ?Why would Bridgend council encourage the exploitation of the last dregs of fossil fuel for short-lived and relatively tiny contributions to our energy needs?

?Surely, if all the bluster about reducing carbon footprints, before climate catastrophe becomes a reality, is to be seen as anything but a cynical ?greenwash?, then these sorts of development, that ruin rural idylls for the sake of lining the pockets of people like Coastal Oil and Gas, need to be kicked into touch.?

A decision on the application will be taken by the council?s planning committee.


http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2011/08/10/methane-gas-under-farmland-could-last-15-years-91466-29208875/