Eight new core holes will be drilled on land owned by AGL with the company not needing to acquire access to private property or obtain more land.

A spokesperson for AGL said the Department of Industry, Investment and Minerals approved AGL’s application to drill eight exploration holes on AGL owned land at Broke and Bulga on February 1.

“Consultation on this exploration work began in August last year and is ongoing with our neighbours, residents and the Bulga Community Consultative Committee (BCCC) and Singleton Council,” he said

The drilling of the first core hole started on AGL’s Spring Mountain vineyard at Broke on February 24.

The testing and analysis to be performed is designed to provide data including gas content, composition and the permeability of the coal seams.”

The Hunter Valley Protection Alliance and the Broke Bulga Community Consultative Committee have recently constructed a buffer zone map that outlines the space required by law, under the Petroleum Act, to be left around certain structures and agricultural land.

Spokesperson for the alliance Graeme Gibson said that based on the community’s high agricultural industry there is a very limited area left for AGL to set up gas wells.

“These buffers are required around houses, orchards, vineyards, olive groves, water ways and dams, and based on the map these take up about 70 per cent of the area AGL has identified as their exploration zone,” Mr Gibson explained.

Mr Gibson said that considering AGL is yet to mark out their own areas not being explored, there will be no space to enable a commercial gas extraction.

“It is too hard here as they have to contend with three townships (Broke, Bulga and Milbrodale), intensive agricultural industry and water aquifers,” he said.

The AGL spokesperson added that the map is a work in progress and is not a final document.

“The next step is for the parties to review the information contained on the draft map and discuss the way forward,” he said

The preliminary material was presented at a recent BCCC meeting, through a sub-committee, and further work will be undertaken in 2010,” the spokesperson said.

The community is also battling interest in the area from geothermal energy company Geodynamics Limited.

The company is exploring Hot Dry Rock geothermal energy and the possibility of a power station.

Mr Gibson said that the community is establishing a good wine and tourism industry and has had enough of their land being abused.

“We’ve had enough, we are trying to maintain the rural and tranquil aspects of our community and these companies are really pushing it,” Mr Gibson said.

The next Broke Bulga Community Consultative Committee meeting will be held on March 10 at the Bulga Hall at 12pm.

All interested parties are invited to attend.