§ 42. Mr. Roland Robinsonasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what progress has now been made with the experiments in the underground gasification of coal at Newman Spinney, near Chesterfield; and whether these experiments are to be continued on a larger scale.
§ Mr. P. Noel-BakerThe work at Newman Spinney on the underground gasification of coal has begun very well. A seam, unsuitable for mining, was ignited more than three months ago, and has continued ever since to produce gas; the total gasification of 200 tons of coal has been effected. The results of this experiment will be assessed at the end of the year, and the plans for future work will then be made.