""8 nations are industrialised andenterprising. For developed and emergingcountries, energy consumption simplycomes with the territory. Today, alternativecleaner coal technologies are emerging and necessary.Now being explored, these new technologies arecreating a new wave of industrialisation for aprosperous and greener energy future.Members of the G8 uniquely understand the need forindustry. Industry underpins economies. If industriesfail, economies fall. Cast back to the year 1973. It wasat this time the G8 formed after an oil crisis gave way to a subsequent global recession. Today, G8discussions focus on topics including health, lawenforcement, labor, economic and social development,foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism, andtrade. Interestingly, they also focus on energy and theenvironment.Throughout the course of history, coal has been adriving force behind the industrialisation, developmentand modernisation of nations. Economicallyrecoverable world coal reserves, identified across 70countries, are estimated to be in the order of 850billion tonnes. At today's current production rates, thisis believed to last for the next 150 years1. As concernsare raised about the use of coal in a now carbonconscious era, alternative cleaner coal technologies areemerging with solutions to provide environmentallyfriendly and cost efficient energy.As the demand for and cost of traditional energysources rise, developed and emerging nations are nowlooking for new alternatives to use coal to fuel theireconomies. Even developing nations are catching on.Energy alternatives that can offer cleaner energysolutions are a must for the future. One technology inthe spotlight is Underground Coal Gasification, orUCG. UCG accesses deeper coal while it still lies underthe ground. This technology offers countries with coalresources a significant means to secure their ownenergy futures, and in this, their economic prosperity.Some of the world's biggest economies have a greatdeal of coal. Take the United States and Russia as anexample. Between them they have close to half of theworld's known recoverable coal reserves, accountingfor around 44 per cent, or just over 400 billion tonnesof coal2. The World Energy Council suggests that UCGcould potentially increase known world coal reservesby 600 billion tonnes3. With the application of UCG,countries with coal now have a unique opportunity toaccess an abundant source of cleaner energy.Linc Energy is the world's leading UCG company.Based in Brisbane, Australia, the company hasconstructed the world's first UCG to Gas to Liquids(GTL) demonstration facility for the production ofcleaner energy solutions. UCG synthesis gas is an idealfeedstock for the GTL process to produce cleanerdiesel and jet fuel. It is also an ideal feedstock for gasturbine power generation. There is no doubt there is agrowing international interest in UCG. The UnitedStates, China and India are all interested in thetechnology and how it can play a role in securingcleaner energy for the future.UCG is a form of coal extraction and works by drilling aseries of wells deep into the coal seam. An oxidantsuch as air or oxygen is then injected. The coal isheated to 1,200 degrees centigrade. Heat, pressureand water from the coal seam then work to convert thesolid coal to a gas. The technology is recognised as an additional andNEW ENERGY FOR CLEANER INDUSTRYTHROUGHOUTTHE COURSE OFHISTORY, COALHAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCEBEHIND THE INDUSTRIALISATION, DEVELOPMENTAND MODERNISATIONOF NATIONS024CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGYGPETER BOND, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LINC ENERGY LTD.?
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