Regulations governing the application for and awarding of prospecting rights and mining rights for underground coal gasification (UCG) in South Africa have been included in the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) Amendment Bill, accelerating the near-term likelihood that the clean coal technology will be introduced into the national energy mix.
UCG enabled coal to be gasified within a coal seam, converting coal in situ into synthetic gas and enabling the access of “unmineable” coal seams.