I have raised concerns about underground coal gasification to the Energy Minister during General Questions in Parliament after Cluff Natural Resources brought forward proposals to extract coal beneath the Firth of Forth. 

I asked Fergus Ewing if he or the Scottish Government had met with the organisation owned by Algy Cluff and what matters were discussed, I followed on by raising concerns over the contamination of rising mining water if Cluff Natural Resources were to proceed with their licenses in Fife.

I also asked if the Minister was confident that there are significant and robust safeguards currently in place within the regulatory regime to ensure that the risk of contamination is minimised.

Whilst the Minister might pass off the plans from Cluff as being at an ‘early stage’ I feel that he missed an opportunity today to allay the fears of locals within the region. The Minister failed to answer if he shared my concerns around underground coal gasification and if he was confident with the regulatory regime.

Whilst I appreciate that environmental matters are considered during the licensing process we need confirmation from the Government that this process will be robust enough. We have seen through international testing that pollution of local water supplies are a real danger and contamination must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to happen in Fife or across Scotland.

I share the fears of many within the local community, along with environmental organisations, that the igniting of coal seams at Levenmouth and Kincardine could lead to pollution. Fears have been raised previously that the procedure could lead to pollution of Fife’s rising mine water with carcinogenic chemicals, which could potentially leak into the environment. I along with local councillor Tom Adams have previously raised our concerns, as have environmental charity Friends of the Earth.

You can watch the question below: