Coal power from under the Humber

COAL located deep under the River Humber could be used to power homes and businesses for decades to come.

Permission has been granted for a firm to examine the energy potential of untapped coal seams beneath the estuary.

If sufficient reserves are found, the coal could produce half of the energy needs of the Hull and Grimsby areas for at least 30 years.

Officials say new technology could harness "clean energy" from the coal, which would be converted into gas in a process known as gasification.

The gas can then be used for power generation or the manufacture of fuels.

But environmental campaigners have criticised the move, arguing there is no such thing as "clean coal".

Depending on the outcome of the studies on the Humber, the move could bring a multi-million pound investment to the region.

Catherine Bond, chief executive of Clean Coal – the firm given the go-ahead to investigate the potential of the underground coal – insists the project is environmentally friendly.

She said: "This is an exciting development. Underground coal gasification is a greener way to produce energy without the environmental hazards of coal mining.

"This is a potentially huge project that could result in a £154m commercial project. We could do a variety of things with the gas, including putting it into the gas grid or building a power station.

"Data suggests there is an estimated 200m tonnes in this area. To put this in perspective, the UK as a whole produces 27m tonnes a year."

The coal industry claims that gasification is "clean coal" technology that produces fewer of the harmful gases, chemicals, particles and heavy metals that conventional coal power plants spew into the air.

But the process is a controversial subject.

Shan Oakes, of the Hull and East Riding Green Party, said: "Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Clean coal technology and carbon capture has not been tested on a wide-scale commercial basis.

"It is expensive and requires a long-term commitment. We should be investing in renewable energy – we have the technology and we have this gigantic estuary that we should be harnessing the power of.

"Reverting to old fossil fuels is just going backwards. We need to be vigilant that companies do not see the Humber as a backwater where they can get away with doing things they couldn't elsewhere."