Using a part of the coal feed pre-treated in side chambers for beneficiation by a low-temperature plasma in the presence of O 2 , powdered coal is injected into a reactor apparatus for gasification. The plasma pre-treatment stage includes partial combustion of coal with O 2 for preheating as well as decreased consumption of electrical power. The feed and beneficiated coal fractions are injected tangentially into the reactor along with superheated steam for gasification at nominally 1000°C, to obtain an ecologically clean fuel-type gas. Typical conditions yielded synthesis gas containing CO 2 4.8, H 2 18.2, CO 19.1, and CH 4 2.1% by volume.