NT: More than a trillion tonnes of coal on SA/NT border: report

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2009
NT: More than a trillion tonnes of coal on SA/NT border: report

DARWIN, Feb 17 AAP - More than a trillion tonnes of coal could be extracted from land
on the border of South Australia and the Northern Territory, says a new report.

Commissioned by energy explorer Central Petroleum Ltd, the independent report described
the Pedirka Basin in the Simpson Desert as "sufficiently promising".

It found potential for up to 1.3 trillion tonnes of coal above 1,000 metres and more
than 2 trillion tonnes when including deeper coal sections.

"This is a significant conclusion," Central Petroleum's managing director John Heugh
said on Tuesday.

"This is a further step along the confidence path to vindicate substantive coal focused
drilling throughout the basin."

On the back of the report's findings, Central Petroleum said it would now explore the
potential for various technology applications, such as underground coal gasification,
coal bed methane and gas-to-liquids.

"We are ... encouraged and heartened at many levels about the near term coal technology
options for the Pedirka Basin," said Mr Heugh.

The Perth-based company commissioned the report after discovering over 100 metres of
cumulative coal seams in the Purni Formation late last year.

AAP tr/maur

KEYWORD: COAL

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