Linc energy: developing oil, gas and coal.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: OIL & GAS

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Although Linc Energy has only been active in Alaska for the past two years, the Australian company is already making inroads in the oil and gas industry. A world leader in underground coal gasification technology, it is also on the cusp of bringing a new industry to the state which could affect Alaska's long-term energy future.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Linc Energy was incorporated in 1996, and began operations in Alaska in 2010. The company has 450 employees worldwide and a team of 15 people in the 49th state. There are two divisions within Linc Energy, both of which operate in Alaska: the Clean Energy Division, which is comprised of UCG exploration and development, and the Oil and Gas Division.

Using UCG to Harvest Stranded Resources

According to Linc Energy Alaska General Manager Corri Feige, the amount and quality of Alaska's coal resource was a huge draw for the company, which specializes in converting underground resources into energy and synthetic fuels. As the owner of Yerostigaz, the world's only commercial UCG operation, Linc Energy produces commercial UCG synthesis for power generation in Uzbekistan. The company has also constructed and commissioned the world's only UCG to GTL (gas to liquids) demonstration facility, which is located in Queensland, Australia.

"Alaska is the Saudi Arabia of coal, so considering that Linc Energy's business is converting underground coal gas to power, synthetic diesel and synthetic jet fuel, it makes the state very very attractive to us," Feige says. "The resource position is very advantageous--the depth of burial and the rank of coal are at the 'sweet spot' for UCG processing using Linc's technology."

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Linc Energy holds exploration licenses on 167,000 acres of Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority lands, two of which are located on the western shores of Cook Inlet and one in Interior Alaska near Healy. According to Feige, all three areas are currently being explored for depth and characterization of coals for UCG development.

"There has been a lot of offset drilling done in the region, so Cook Inlet coals are well known," Feige says of the estimated resource. "There are 20- to 30-foot thick coal seams, and we know that these are pervasive throughout the region. The rank is sub-bituminous, which is perfect for gasification.

"On the west side of the inlet in just one small area, we have calculated that there is enough coal to run a...