The environmental disaster that was Linc Energy

Linc Energy exploded onto the scene in 2006 with the promise of a clean, technical solution to making squillions of dollars from useless underground coal reserves. Essentially start a controlled underground fire in the coal seams, suck out combustion materials, purify them and produce clean fossil fuel energy.

Sounds great doesn't it ? What could possibly go wrong....?? Well practically everything. Turns out the technology was fatally flawed and that from Day 1 the underground pollution was clear, disastrous and always denied.

The situation is now in court with a number of Linc Energy officials facing charges of environmental damage on a scale never seen in Australia.

From my perspective it makes one question almost any industry story on the security of it's technology when it is dealing with inherently dirty products and practices. Also makes one wonder about the role of regulators in standing up to business that just denies and covers gross disasters - and the agenda of big business calling for more environmental de-regulation

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/lif...r/news-story/89096454ced60874c5d8e2e967fb9c1c
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-...y-charged-with-environmental-offences/8021560

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-10/linc-energy-gas-plant-contaminated-soil-hydrogen/8259408

PS I was a strong supporter of Linc Energy in it's early days. Completely sucked in.. Certainly made me reconsider my trust in techology wonders.

Regardless of your general views the report by The Australian is worth reading.

Very scary.

Thanks for sharing. LNC was one of those stocks on the ASX that was very divisive (a bit like AKP or LNG nowadays). The supporters and doubters get into heated debates over everything from technology, to price action being manipulated, to the characters of Peter Bond.

I hope justice will be served.

Turning coal into syngas isn't a new idea, it's essentially the same process used to produce "town gas" for cities before natural gas replace it.

Trouble is, that town gas production process was incredibly polluting with an assortment of wastes both liquid and gaseous. Go to any former gas works site and the ground is invariably toxic.

Which brings up another point. There is no way you'd get me living anywhere close to a former gas works. They're all pretty much the same and let's just say I've seen first hand what's in the ground around a couple of them....

But yes, that stuff does strip the paint off machinery. Puts workers in hospital too. Even worse when it's mixed with water, was intentionally dumped on the ground and there's no practical way to deal with it. At least when it's in an underground tank and isn't mixed with water it can be burnt reasonably safely firing industrial kilns or boilers to get rid of it (and that's exactly how it's disposed of - best option available really). But you can't do that when it's mixed with water and you certainly can't do it when it has soaked into the soil over a wide area.

Done above ground with modern processes and environmental standards it could probably be done reasonably cleanly and safely. Comparable to an industry such as oil refining for example - not totally safe but reasonably OK. But underground? Well no, that's going to be a lot harder since you've got the rather big problem of where the heavy (liquid) hydrocarbons end up.....

I hope the landholders beat the former linc executives within an inch of their life as I have zero faith they will go to jail.

Smurf1976 said:

Trouble is, that town gas production process was incredibly polluting with an assortment of wastes both liquid and gaseous. Go to any former gas works site and the ground is invariably toxic.

Which brings up another point. There is no way you'd get me living anywhere close to a former gas works. They're all pretty much the same and let's just say I've seen first hand what's in the ground around a couple of them....

Click to expand...

Not buying a place here then?
http://www.realestate.com.au/project-gasworks+residences-qld-newstead-600011446
http://gasworksplaza.com.au/

skc said:

Not buying a place here then?

Click to expand...

Wouldn't even consider it unless I was sure they'd done the clean up properly.

Any old town gas production facility based on coal (and that was all of them until at least the 1950's in Australia) will have produced an assortment of toxic by-products that's a given. How they disposed of them, particularly the tar, is the real concern.

I'm familiar with one situation in a street beside one of these old sites. Some excavation work being done to put new stuff in the ground. Long story short, the "mud" they were digging out of those trenches completely stripped the paint off any machinery it came in contact with (which sounds rather similar to the Linc situation). Most effective means of paint removal I've ever heard of - one splash of that stuff and that's it, no more paint. That says all anyone really needs to know about how the contamination migrates out of these sites and is still there decades after production ceased.

There's a pretty long history of dealing with these sites in the UK in a satisfactory manner but we seem to have taken it far less seriously in Australia thus far.

Hello,

is somebody still invested in LINC ENERGY ?

Glad to hear from you !

Thanks !

The chickens have turned into emus and are coming home to roost for Peter Bong and Linc Energy. The court case around the damage caused to the environment by their operations has concluded with a guilty finding. It will be interesting to see how far the court pursues the executives over this case given the damage they caused and the the fact they were always aware of what was happening.


Linc Energy guilty of causing serious environmental harm
Water in Queensland’s Darling Downs was polluted so much it was unfit for stock, court hears

Australian Associated Press

Sun 8 Apr 2018 23.19 EDT


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Linc CEO Peter Bond never directed staff to follow mandated UCG safety practice, the court heard. Photograph: Andrew Taylor/AAP
A failed Queensland energy company has been found guilty of causing serious environmental harm by polluting the Darling Downs with hazardous contaminants despite warnings from scientists.

Linc Energy has been on trial for weeks at Brisbane district court, where the jury was told that toxic gas leaked from its operations between 2007 and 2013.

The company was charged with five counts of wilfully and unlawfully causing environmental harm.


Queensland may pursue Linc executives for cleanup costs
Read more
During the trial, the court heard Linc operated four underground coal gasification (UCG) sites in Chinchilla, where it burnt coal underground at very high temperatures to create gas.

Its operations left water polluted to the point it was unfit for stock to consume.

Scientists and workers warned about gases bubbling from the ground but the company kept operating.

Crown prosecutor Ralph Devlin QC said the Linc CEO, Peter Bond, was aware of guidelines to safely manage UCG operations but had never directed staff to follow mandated practices.

“Bond prioritised Linc’s commercial interests over the requirements of operating its mining activity in an environmentally safe manner,” Devlin said. “Linc did nothing to stop, mitigate or rehabilitate the state of affairs that Linc itself had caused.”

The damage was done, in part, by Linc injecting air into the ground as part of the UCG process.

That created and enlarged fractures.

Linc tried to concrete surface cracks and use wells to control pressure but it did not sufficiently reduce risks or damage, the court was told.

Scientists who visited the site gave evidence during the trial and on Monday Linc was convicted of all five charges.

Sentencing has been listed for 11 May.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-guilty-of-causing-serious-environmental-harm

The Chickens have turned into Giant Emus and come home to roost.
A Brisbane District Court has found Linc Energy guilty of wilfully and unlawfully causing environmental damage -- and not in a small way.

It will be interesting to see what sentences are passed and how they they are put into effect. The damage Linc cause to the rivers , grounds and underground aquifers is immense.

Linc Energy guilty of causing serious environmental harm
Water in Queensland’s Darling Downs was polluted so much it was unfit for stock, court hears

Australian Associated Press

Sun 8 Apr 2018 23.19 EDT

Shares
14

Linc CEO Peter Bond never directed staff to follow mandated UCG safety practice, the court heard. Photograph: Andrew Taylor/AAP
A failed Queensland energy company has been found guilty of causing serious environmental harm by polluting the Darling Downs with hazardous contaminants despite warnings from scientists.

Linc Energy has been on trial for weeks at Brisbane district court, where the jury was told that toxic gas leaked from its operations between 2007 and 2013.

The company was charged with five counts of wilfully and unlawfully causing environmental harm.


Queensland may pursue Linc executives for cleanup costs
Read more
During the trial, the court heard Linc operated four underground coal gasification (UCG) sites in Chinchilla, where it burnt coal underground at very high temperatures to create gas.

Its operations left water polluted to the point it was unfit for stock to consume.

Scientists and workers warned about gases bubbling from the ground but the company kept operating.

Crown prosecutor Ralph Devlin QC said the Linc CEO, Peter Bond, was aware of guidelines to safely manage UCG operations but had never directed staff to follow mandated practices.

“Bond prioritised Linc’s commercial interests over the requirements of operating its mining activity in an environmentally safe manner,” Devlin said. “Linc did nothing to stop, mitigate or rehabilitate the state of affairs that Linc itself had caused.”

The damage was done, in part, by Linc injecting air into the ground as part of the UCG process.

That created and enlarged fractures.

Linc tried to concrete surface cracks and use wells to control pressure but it did not sufficiently reduce risks or damage, the court was told.

Scientists who visited the site gave evidence during the trial and on Monday Linc was convicted of all five charges.

Sentencing has been listed for 11 May.
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-guilty-of-causing-serious-environmental-harm

I lost faith in this company well before the end for reasons from which I think there’s a broader lesson.

They were not focused on their actual business.

Remember the “Diesel Dash” and other stunts? All the talk that they were going to generate electricity too?

Thing is, turning syngas into electricity is dead easy and not even slightly innovative. GE or Mitsubishi could sell anyone suitable equipment and for that matter there are numerous power stations in Australia that could operate on syngas with relatively minor modifications.

Turning syngas into diesel isn’t new either. The tech is well understood and has been used commercially overseas.

Turning it into fertilizer, another one of their ideas, isn’t a new one either.

What was new was Linc’s method of producing the syngas without first needing to mine the coal. THAT was the only thing Linc had that could be considered as their own technology but they were far too busy proving what others have proven long ago.

Their approach was akin to an investor with $20K in their account focusing on mansions, yachts and luxury cars. Nope - you need to focus on making the money, or syngas in Linc’s case, rather than worrying about the comparatively straightforward aspects of spending / using it.

Beware of companies engaging in marketing stunts and elaborate plans for the use of products they’re failing to successfully produce.

The saddest part is that they’ve completely trashed government and public perception of an idea which, if done carefully with a proper approach, could well be environmentally better than the conventional alternatives.

When I had a face to face encounter with the bloke he told me he could have me me found wherever I was and that all he had to do was make one phone call and I’d be gone, and then he said he was going to have my car wreaked and me bashed as well. I suppose after I was dead ?
So Poofter Bond is a really good person I guess you could say.

Mynameisnobody said:

When I had a face to face encounter with the bloke he told me he could have me me found wherever I was and that all he had to do was make one phone call and I’d be gone, and then he said he was going to have my car wreaked and me bashed as well. I suppose after I was dead ?
So Poofter Bond is a really good person I guess you could say.

Click to expand...

Hmm. I suppose if you deal with criminals you should expect criminal behaviour.
Glad you escaped his clutches. Be good to see some justice for his business activities.

Have to say that watching (and supporting) the promotion and development of Linc Energy makes me very cautious about trusting the numerous stories spun by CEO's of mining companies (and others or course.)

How to xxxing rewrite history...

Peter Bond lives ! He is back in business. Anyone want to go another round ?

About Peter Bond​

As an aspiring metallurgist working for multinational mining giant BHP in the 1980s, Peter could see a future beyond the ‘Big Australian’, as they called it.
Going out on his own to quarry and deliver coal, Peter quickly built an empire that saw him achieve millionaire status by age 26 (no mean feat in the 1980s before that was the average price of a house in Sydney) and rocket into 10th position on the BRW rich list with a net worth of over $500M.
From building a global mining empire called Linc Energy, to his current ventures in renewable energy technology, Peter has covered a lot of ground. Read more about some of Peter’s better known initiatives below.

Peter Bond Companies​

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Infinte Power​

Infinite Power is now Peter’s main venture. Infinite Power is a PV energy solution similar to solar, but deriving it’s energy from the X-rays and Gamma Rays found in radioisotopes rather than those found in the sun. It’s more reliable than solar, safer than the radioisotope power used by NASA, portable, cost-effective and carbon neutral.
Find out more at the Infinite Power website.

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Peter Bond and Linc Energy​

Linc Energy was founded in 1996 as a gas to liquid energy company originally based in Queensland, Australia. Peter Bond became Executive Chair of Linc Energy in 2007, and took the organisation global, signing technology and mining deals in the United States, United Kingdom, China, South Africa, Poland and Uzbekistan.

Linc Energy was ahead of its time as an early-adopter of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, but as a business relying largely on coal mining for its profitability, it struggled to remain commercially viable as the coal price fell from US$130 a tonne in 2011 to a low of US$55 a tonne in 2015.

The company was placed into voluntary administration in 2016. A legal action by the Queensland Government against Peter Bond and other company executives was dismissed and all charges were dropped. Administrators PPB Advisory found Linc Energy were solvent prior to their appointment, and could not identify any potential offences. Their report found the rapid deterioration of global commodity prices impacted on Linc Energy’s financial position.

Dunk Island​

Peter Bond is the owner of Dunk Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.