THE North-East could be set to lead a "second coal revolution" within the next five years, an energy expert has predicted.

Paul Younger, professor of energy and environment at Newcastle University, said there was enough clean energy from the UK's untapped coal reserves - a large proportion of which are in this region - to supply the country's power needs for the next 400 years.

He is leading a consortium of energy experts, being organised through the Newcastle Science City initiative, which hopes to make the region the global leader in the field.

Despite centuries of mining, he said only about a quarter of the North-East's coal resources had been used up, with ''vast amounts'' remaining, which can be accessed using a process called underground coal gasification.

The process involves drilling boreholes into the coal, pushing steam and oxygen into one hole, and drawing out the hot gas.

And the scheme - which Prof Younger predicts could be up and running in the region within five years and be used on a global scale within a decade - could also create scores of highly-skilled jobs for the North-East.

Prof Younger, who also led the region's unsuccessful bid to host the Energy Technologies Institute earlier this year, said the method would enhance the security of energy supplies and be more environmentally friendly than traditional mining.

"With gasification, heavy pollutants stay underground and the voids left can be used to store carbon dioxide," he said.

"I think this is a wonderful springboard to a renewable future. Now we have cleaner ways of using fossil fuels to get there.

"By drilling boreholes, noone has to go underground. It's a much cleaner and safer opportunity for the people involved."

The professor said he believed the region, which boasts a strong portfolio as a leader in the energy sector, both nationally and internationally, would be the ideal home to such a project.

"In the North-East we're not scared of novel industries. There's still an appetite for engineering in the North-East. I think it will be very popular in the region," he said.