Construction of the Kingaroy UCG pilot plant began in September 2009 and formed part of the pre-production phase of Cougar’s Kingaroy UCG project.
The Kingaroy UCG project involves construction of a 400 megawatt (MW) power station, which will utilise an estimated 73 million tonnes of coal in the Kunioon and Goodger seams, located in Mineral Development Licence 385.
The depth of the two seams ranges from 130–300 metres with thicknesses of 5–17 metres and 2–13 metres respectively, which are well suited to UCG technology.
The Kingaroy UCG plant will be developed in two stages, the first stage designed to a capacity of 186 MW.
The pilot plant remains on schedule to start producing gas in late February or early March 2010.
In addition, Linc Energy has completed the construction of Generator 4 at its UCG trial, located at Chinchilla in southern Queensland.
The company has said that the generator has been designed and constructed to demonstrate key productivity, scale and reliability enhancements that will prove critical for ensuring future sustained commercial success to deliver high quality, low cost syngas.
Linc also said that it expects UCG Generator 4 to produce approximately twice as much syngas per well than from UCG Generator 3.
Pre-production for Generator 5 has been planned, to be developed and commissioned at Orroroo, in South Australia, in the second half of 2010. Linc will provide a technical report on the results of the Generator 4 trial, expected to be released in May 2010.
The project has gasified approximately 2,000 tonnes of coal since its inception in August 2008. Linc’s main objective is to demonstrate the supply of synthesis gas of sufficient quality and quantity for utilisation in the gas-to-liquids demonstration plant over a lengthy period.
