Here's some information I found in a hour of internet research this evening re gas feasibility. Interesting stuff; I learnt a lot!
The technical specifics on mine methane below I got here: https://unece.org/DAM/energy/se/pdfs/cmm/pub/BestPractGuide_MethDrain_es31.pdf
Also refer to ASX announcement from 11 August 2021 ''MOU FOR THE SUPPLY AND TRANSPORTATION OF GAS FROM NORTHERN BOWEN BASIN TO TOWNSVILLE’S LANSDOWN ECO INDUSTRIAL PARK' and the Dec21 QPM Quarterly section ''Life Cycle Assessment – Negative Carbon Footprint''.
Transition Energy Corporation Pty Ltd is the party in the MOU who intends to assess the potential to drain and harvest gas that would otherwise be
flared or vented into the atmosphere. Vented (from underground mine ventilation) or flared gas is collected by current mine systems (eg pipes).
The gas we are referring to is LNG. What is LNG made of? LNG is composed almost exclusively of methane.
Methane is a concern to the mining industry from a safety perspective as it is an explosive gas, and as coal mines are a significant emissions source of the gas. Methane has a global warming potential of 20x CO2, and totals 14% of GHG emissions.
Noting the Bowen Basin contains the largest coal reserves in Australia, and most of the currently 40+ open cut or underground mines are in the basin's north. QPM are targeting the best in class metallurgical/coking/steel making coal mines whose operation will operate longer than thermal coal/electricity generation mines in a clean energy transition.
Each underground coal mine would be actively draining or ventilating methane as a safety measure. Using the currently thrown out or burnt gas as an energy source for a downstream user such as QPM is obviously going to benefit the mine as well as downstream users.
The gap in the system appears to be the 'mine exit' collection system in the Bowen Basin, and then its transportation to a new centralised gas processing and compression facility to be located in this region. Connect the system of BB pipes basically.
As
@mattfrombyron notes, there is the NQGP from the Moranbah coal seam Gas Project in the Bowen, running to Townsville past the Lansdown site (and which may be suited to other heavy energy users such as IM3TSV).
BTW, the other party in the Aug21 MOU is NQGP!
Trusting SG and the QPM team would not otherwise engage with TEC and the NQGP if the feasibility was suspect, and that the independent Benz and Skepper strategic review has considered this aspect also.
@MIStragic, hope this has allayed some of your concerns. Collection of vented and flared gas is a safety necessity, the Lansdown Let Down facility is part of the TECH design, the NQGP was commissioned in 2004; it's the collection/processing & compression facilities in the BB that is being nutted out by the experts to complete the chain to enable QPM to go carbon negative. It will also improve a mines GHG performance, so anticipate the MOU is being worked on seriously, with many parties standing to share in its benefits (and contribute to costs) - I think we underestimate this side of things being focused on QPM.
