A process for gasifying coal comprises pneumatically conveying pulverized coal along a coal feed line, and feeding the pneumatically conveyed pulverized coal into a gasification chamber through a burner connected to the coal feed line. Simultaneously, a gasification agent comprising oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas is fed into the gasification chamber through the burner. The pulverized coal is gasified by allowing it to burn with a less than stoichiometric amount of oxygen inside the gasification chamber at substantially atmospheric pressure, thereby to form a hot gaseous component comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gaseous component is withdrawn from the gasification chamber as a gaseous product comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Slag is withdrawn from the bottom of the gasification chamber.
