THE company behind plans to extract gas by burning coal under the Firth of Forth has said it is not in the public interest to conduct an inquiry into the process in Scotland.

In a letter to MSPs, Cluff Natural Resources said an exhaustive independent study and been conducted by the UK Government, which concluded that underground coal gasification (UCG) offered "clear benefits" provided sites were carefully selected and proper monitoring put in place.

Details of the briefing emerged a day after the company announced it was putting its plans on hold because of uncertainty over the Scottish Government's support for the technology.

Ministers are under pressure to include UCG in an existing moratorium on fracking, another controversial gas extraction process, which was imposed earlier this year to allow time for a scientific study and public consultation.

In his letter to MSPs, Cluff chief operating officer Andrew Nunn said: "The sole stated purpose of the moratorium on shale gas and coalbed methane exploration and extraction is to allow time to collect the scientific evidence to underpin a reasoned debate around the potential risks associated with the emerging shale gas industry.

"It is neither necessary, nor in the public interest, to repeat this process for UCG."

The letter confirmed the company held talks with the Scottish Government before and after the fracking moratorium was announced but said it did not lobby to be excluded from the temporary ban.

It said gas produced by UCG could play in "signifcant role" in securing Scotland's future energy supplies and boosting the petrochemicals industry centred on Grangemouth.

Scottish Greens MSP

Alison Johnstone, who has been at the forefront of the campaign against unconventional gas extraction, said: "Before Cluff got cold feet and announced a delay in their plans, they wrote to all MSPs as part of a charm offensive.

"Scottish Greens support the many community groups around the Forth who have made their opposition to coal gasification clear, and I have written back to Cluff challenging their claims."

She said the company had downplayed incidents in which UCG had caused contamination to land.

She added: "Scotland is in a privileged position to end its reliance on fossil fuels earlier than other countries and create many more jobs by investing in sectors such as renewables, green chemistry, home insulation and forestry.

"In the meantime the Scottish Government must come off the fence, extend their temporary fracking moratorium to include coal gasification given it requires onshore infrastructure and turn it into a permanent ban, to protect our communities, our economy and our climate."