Workers suffered ill effects from coal gas site, court told

WORKERS at a controversial coal gas site had novel solutions to the effects of alleged contaminants in the environment, a court has been told.

Undated : The Linc Energy underground coal gasification pilot plant at Chinchilla

WORKERS at Linc Energy’s controversial gas site near Chinchilla were told by superiors to drink milk and eat yoghurt to line their stomachs to prevent the effects of contaminants, a court has heard.

Linc, owned by millionaire Queenslander Peter Bond, faces a committal hearing in Dalby Magistrates Court on five charges of wilful and serious environmental harm at an underground coal gasification plant.

Opening the prosecution case, Ralph Devlin, QC, said evidence, including “fingerprinting” of contaminants, would show that Linc was the only possible source.

The contaminants had explosive or asphyxiating properties and included volatile organic compounds and benzene and toluene.

Workers at the site also complained of health effects consistent with contaminants.

“One worker was told by his superiors to drink milk and to eat yoghurt to line his stomach,” Mr Devlin told the court.

Evidence would also be produced that a water bore 150m from one gasifier was well known for leaking high levels of carbon monoxide and was dubbed “Puffing Billy” by workers.

Mr Devlin said staff were also seen wearing white safety suits at the site while other workers wore respirators and personal gas meters, which went off as soon as they left their dongas.

“These witnesses are saying they felt ill and were having illness episodes consistent with exposure (to gas),” Mr Devlin said.

He said workers saw large areas of bubbling on the ground at the site and one worker, Timothy Ford, sprayed dishwashing detergent on the ground and ended up with a large area covered in suds that was dubbed “Christmas in Chinchilla”.

The Linc Energy underground coal gasification pilot plant at Chinchilla.

The evidence would also show that Linc operated the project at pressures that led to the fracturing of the geology and allowed contaminants to escape.

The issues dated back to 2007 and coincided with the operational control being held by “Oleg from Uzbekistan” and workers would find data had been written in Russian.

Mr Devlin said at the early stages of the project Linc knew the environmental risk of operating its gasifiers at higher-than-allowed levels.

“Evidence will show Linc’s over pressurising of the landform created new fracturing,” Mr Devlin said.

“These pathways allowed synthetic gas to escape from gasifiers.”

The UCG test site was shut down in 2013. The committal hearing continues today.