Inferno Project

The Inferno Project was the nickname given to a secret British government science project conducted in the early 1970s. It involved drilling beneath the Earth's crust to gain access to pockets of Stahlman's Gas located there, which the project's founder, Professor Stahlman, theorized would provide an endless energy source. Not only did the drilling instead release Stahlman's Ooze, which rapidly mutated humans into Primords, but it would also have released enough energy to destroy the planet. The project was shut down thanks to the efforts of the Third Doctor and UNIT, with the aid of project director Sir Keith Gold. (DW: Inferno)

Later, James Stevens wrote an article published in the Daily Chronicle that revealed the project to the public. (MA: Who Killed Kennedy)