Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)

The Ministry of Coal has issued draft guidelines for the preparation of mining and mine closure plans for Underground Coal and Lignite Gasification (UCG) blocks.

About the Draft Guidelines

• Purpose: Establish a regulatory framework for in-situ gasification of coal and lignite.
• Scope: Covers project feasibility, safety protocols, environmental management, and post-mining rehabilitation.

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What is Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)?

• Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is an in-situ process of converting coal or lignite into gaseous fuel (syngas) while it is still underground.
• Process: Instead of mining coal, it is chemically converted into a mixture of combustible gases by injecting oxidants (air/oxygen/steam) into the coal seam.
• Objective: To generate synthetic gas (syngas) for use in power generation, chemical production, or as a feedstock for fuels.
• Significance: The combustion of this gas is cleaner and more efficient than coal combustion since emissions are trapped at the gasification stage.

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