The danger down below !

The hunt for new sources of energy is relentless - and coupled with danger, as the deep drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico illustrates.

Coal has been mined for centuries and still remains one of the world's most prolific energy sources, and as any coal miner knows - a great danger is the chance of a fire breaking out in a coal mine. Such a happening would not be easy to contain - and it could go on for years - and even centuries.

Now we are deliberately setting fire to coal seams under a scheme labelled " underground coal gassification " ( UCG ) - under test in Queensland.

This method leaves the coal in place deep underground. It is burnt in situ using heat, pressure and water to create a synthetic gas which is pumped to the surface - and used to fuel power stations.

In theory, this eliminates the need to create a coal mine, extract the coal and build a plant to turn this coal into energy. The problem is that the method can contaminate ground water with carcinogenic material - benzene and toluene.

There is also the danger that once a coal seam is fired it can spread to a vast network of other coal seams - and destroy most of the state's groundwater system.

We need new energy sources - but we also need to know what tests have been carried out - and what guarantees of safety exist - before we jump from the frying pan into the fire !