Question reference: S4W-27261
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 1 September 2015
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Current status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 September 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in considering its policy, it will request from the Australian Government information on pollution incidents associated with underground coal gasification projects in Australia.
Answer
The Scottish Government is clear that the development of new energy technologies such as underground coal gasification must be consistent with our environmental objectives, and we will continue to take a careful, evidence-based approach to such developments.
Underground coal gasification would only ever be allowed in Scotland under the strictest environmental and planning regulations to ensure the highest level of environmental protection, which is of paramount importance to the Scottish Government. No planning applications for underground coal gasification have been submitted, but any future application would be subject to the same cautious, rigorous and evidence based approach that we are adopting for unconventional oil and gas.