Alkane Energy plc
Alkane Energy plc, first set up in 1994, is a specialist gas to power producer in the UK producing energy from coal mine methane, conventional gas, and biogas.
It is among the top 10 companies holding rights to drill for oil and gas in the UK.
Contents
Activities
Alkane operates mid-sized 'gas to power' electricity plants providing both predictable and fast response capacity to the UK grid. Alkane has a total of 140MW of installed generating capacity and an electricity grid capacity of 160MW.
In July 2014 it announced it had agreed to acquire three power response companies, Darent Power Limited, Leven Power Limited and Rhymney Power Limited (together the 'Power Response Sites') from Carron Energy and Dragon Generation (together 'Carron Energy'). [1]
Previously, in 2000 the company had described itself as 'the UK’s leading commercial producer of methane from abandoned coal mines'. It operated three sites in the East Midlands and was 'progressing with a major roll-out programme using its concept': 18 EXL and PEDL onshore licence areas in the UK gave it exclusive rights over 4,282 km2 with coal mine methane and coal bed methane potential'. [2]
Lobbying
In 2000 Alkane said it was 'actively lobbying, both on its own account and as a founder member of the Association of Coal Mine Methane Operators (ACMMO), for all electricity generated from CMM to be exempt from the Climate Change Levy in the same way as CMM sold direct to industrial users for burner tip fuel is already exempted. The company was lobbying for CMM to be officially recognised as a 'green' source of energy. [3]
The CMM technique, which involves capturing and selling or burning methane from old coal mines is supported by many environmentalists and does not involve fracking. [4]
Affiliations
People
- Neil O'Brien - Chief executive officer
Board
Directors/ Officers as at August 2014
- STEPHEN VINCENT GOALBY, director, 16 May 2000-
- WILLIAM CAMERON DAVIES, director, 12 Sep 1994-
- JULIA ANN HENDERSON, director, 1 Jun 2007-
- NEIL CHRISTOPHER O'BRIEN, director, 1 Nov 2008-
- ROGER STEVEN MCDOWELL, director, 1 Oct 2012-
- STEPHEN VINCENT GOALBY, secretary, 18 Dec 2003-
- JOSEPH DARBY, director, 1 Jan 2010-
As at the year ended December 2000:
- Cameron Davies - Executive Chairman
- David Cross - Chief Executive
- David Oldham - Technical Director
- Stephen Goalby - Finance Director
- Paul Adrian Barlow Beecroft - Non-executive Director*
- Sir David White - Non-executive Director*
- Lord Fraser of Carmyllie - Non-executive Director* from January 2001 (* Members of Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees)
PR and lobbying firms
- Millham Communications Ltd (circa 2000)
- Buchanan Communications (circa 2003)
- Hudson Sandler - London-based PR and communications consultancy
Affiliated companies
In February 2012 Alkane paid £5.725 million for Greenpark Energy Limited, an unquoted natural gas exploration and production company holding approximately 3,000 km2 of acreage in the UK, the largest in the country, with independently assessed coal bed methane (“CBM”) reserves of 5 billion3 feet (“bcf”) 2P, and 2C contingent recoverable resources of 2.4 trillion3 feet (“tct”). [5] Greenpark revenues were reported to be at £3.4 million with EBITDA estimated at £1.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2011.
CEO Neil O’Brien commented:
- This acquisition is a significant step change in the scale of Alkane and adds significantly to our operating capacity and project pipeline. In addition, the acquisition will allow us to triple our capacity in power response for the National Grid.[6]
Greenpark received approval in November 2011 from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to use hydraulic fracturing to extract coal bed methane gas at its Canonbie site in Dumfries and Galloway where it has already conducted exploratory drilling several hundreds of metres into the ground. It is also seeking a licence for a second site in the area, two miles north of the Scottish Border, in a bid to tap into gas trapped in 400,000 tonnes of coal deep underground.
- Subsidiaries: Alkane Energy UK Ltd
Bankers
Contact
Registered company address:
- Alkane Energy plc
- Edwinstowe House, High Street, Edwinstowe
- Nottinghamshire NG21 9PR
- United Kingdom
- Company Number: 02966946
- Incorporation Date: 12 September 1994
- The company changed its name by special resolution on 2 October 2000 from Coalgas plc
- Auditors: Ernst & Young
Telephone: +44 (0)1623 827927 Facsimile: +44 (0)1623 827930
- Website: www.alkane.co.uk
Resources
Notes
- ↑ UK: Alkane Energy announces acquisition and £8.0 million fundraising, energy-pedia news, 17 Jul 2014, acc 18 August 2014
- ↑ Alkane Energy Annual Report 2000, accessed 19 August 2014
- ↑ Source needed
- ↑ Damian Kahya and Harry Kennard, Fracking in the UK: Who owns the rights to drill for oil or gas in the UK?, Greenpeace, 3 March 2013
- ↑ Greenpark Energy Coal Bed Methane Assets
- ↑ Alkane Energy Stock Quote Information – ADVFN Stock Quote
