University academic joins Five-Quarter Energy to develop underground coal gasification exploration

An eminent Newcastle University academic, Professor Dermot Roddy, has resigned so that he can focus on helping Five-Quarter Energy to develop ‘unconventional’ gas from coal gasification.  Professor Roddy was Director of the University’s Swan Centre for Energy Research and becomes the third full time member of the team which includes Chairman and Chief Executive, Harry Bradbury, and Financial Director, Chris Blaxhall.

Muckle LLP has been working with Five-Quarter Energy for a number of years since they obtained a license from the Coal Authority to produce gas from sub-sea coal reserves, within a 400sq km area of the North Sea, stretching from the mouth of the River Tyne up to the Scottish border.  Five-Quarter Energy was set up by Newcastle University to commercially develop the process and to produce gas from the coal fields.  The company is talking with landowners about gas processing facilities and power production locations to use the gas produced, with a 10MW pilot/demonstration plant planned, which is enough to power 5,000 homes.

Although underground coal gasification has not yet been fully commercially developed, Five-Quarter hope to use horizontal drilling techniques, from the oil and gas industries, to improve gas production. Five-Quarter is talking to landowners, onshore planners and geotechnical people about locations for a processing and power plant to use the gas created from the process.

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