ucg story on 60 minutes, page-3

Alan

I just checked the 60 Mins website ... looks like the story is about CSG, not UCG ... will check the full transcript when it is posted Monday.

In any event, the issues between CSG and UCG are wildly different.

UCG

# compact operations, typically 1/16th the area of a CSG operation for the same energy extraction

# no dewatering of coal seam required and so no treatment and disposal of large volumes of drainage water required

# when UCG cell pressure is operated less than hydrostatic pressure, there is no migration of insitu groundwater away from the cell

# groundwater in contact with the UCG cell is typically 200-400m underground and is never intersected by more shallow groundwater extraction wells in the area.

CSG

# large areas (up to 16 x that for a UCG operation on the same seam) requiring access roads, coal seam drainage, water reticulation, treatment and disposal and gas reticulation

# large volumes of drainage water to be treated and disposed ... with potential to affect regional groundwater resources

The quality and impartiality of journalism in some of these sorts of stories is far from rigorous imo ... loud locals with an axe to grind get disproportionate airtime.

Best wait till Monday to review the transcript.

Dex