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Combet lauds new technology for gassy mines

There are predictions new technology developed in Newcastle to help gassy coal mines offset the carbon tax will be embraced globally.

The company Corky's has approval for a demonstration project at the Mandalong underground mine in Lake Macquarie.

The mine has fugitive emission problems and the technology will involve heating its ventilation gas until methane is eventually burnt out.

Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet says it has enormous potential, particularly in China where there are hundreds of gassy mines.

"As we develop technology, driven by the carbon price you know driving the innovation and the research and the development and the application of new technologies," he said.

"This will give Australian companies the competitive edge overseas to sell their technologies.

"It is exactly what a carbon price is designed to do."

But, Mr Combet says the coal industry is determined to oppose the carbon tax despite the new technology.

Mr Combet says he doubts the project will change the minds of people resisting the tax.

"Look some of the people in the peak bodies and the coal industry are just opposed to a carbon price and they have been saying a whole pile of things that are not true.

"The fact of the matter is that having a carbon price in our economy drives coal companies to find ways to reduce their methane emissions."

Newcastle engineer David Cork developed the system and says he's relieved the Mandalong project is finally getting underway.

"Whist we can be very confident that we will get a safe solution, it will still take a long time for that to ripple through the industry, simply because it's a conservative industry, it needs time to adjust," he said.

"Just the current example of the D/A, we're two months behind on the D/A that's just been approved, that took almost nine months to get approval."

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