Bokaro to Be CBM Hub in East India

Bokaro district in the India state of Jharkhand is likley to become a leading producer of coal bed methane in the country with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) locating huge CBM reserves at Parbatpur under Chandankyari block and Hoseir under Gomia block.

If things go according to plan, the district will become a major producer of CBM in eastern India in the next decade, the Times of India said in a report. The state owned firm has already started technical production of CBM at Parbatpur.

This is first project of the ONGC in Jharkhand where exploitation of CBM begun in 2010. There are eight wells used by the company for exploration of CBM at Parbatpur.

As of now 15,000 cubic metres of CBM gas is being produced at the Parbatpur project but in future the production capacity would be enhanced to several lakh cubic metres per day, the Times of India quoted Rajeev Prasad, in-charge (Corporate Communications), ONGC as saying.

The company is yet to begin CMB production (neither technical nor commercial) in Gomia block, Prasad said.

The ONGC has found four areas in eastern region -- Raniganj (West Bengal) and Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribag in Jharkhand -- which have CBM reserves, ONGC officials said.