Northern Territory and coal

There are no operating coal mines  or coal-fired power stations in the Northern Territory.

Coal prospects
In June 2011 Central Petroleum claimed that it had discovered a coalfield approximately 300 kilometres from Alice Springs. The company claimed that the coal seam stretches across 400 kilometres. The company states that it has signed an agreement with Allied Resource Partners (ARP) with the aim of developing an underground coal gasification project. The company states that it is seeking $300 million from investors to fund further exploration and a feasibility study on the project.

Jimmy Cocking from the Arid Land Environment Centre told ABC News is concerned about the project. "They are very keen to distance themselves from the coal seam gas industry in saying it is very different," he said, but "there are still inherent risks associated with it." The project, he said, would involve "pumping chemicals into the ground and pumping them up, so we have got big concerns about it." Nor was he persuaded that Carbon Capture and Storage would be effective.

Related SourceWatch articles
Coal in Australia
 * ABARE April 2010 major projects list
 * Arguments used against a ban on new coal mines or a coal phase-out in Australia
 * Australia and Post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions
 * Coal-to-Liquids in Australia
 * Coal seam gas projects in Australia
 * Existing coal-fired power stations in Australia
 * Financing coal power stations in Australia
 * Fly ash management and use in Australia
 * Coal terminals

State profiles on coal
 * New South Wales and coal
 * Queensland and coal
 * South Australia and coal
 * Victoria and coal
 * Western Australia and coal