Coal India Gets Nod to Extract Coal Mine Methane

India’s Petroleum Ministry has agreed to allow Coal India to explore for coal mine methane albeit with riders. Both Coal and Petroleum Ministries were involved in a tussle over the issue of coal mine methane exploration.

However, the condition has been laid down that for commercialisation of the gas, Coal India will have to seek the Petroleum Ministry’s nod, Business Line said in a report.

Pricing and allocation had to be governed by existing norms decided by the Petroleum Ministry, Petroleum Secretary, G.C. Chaturvedi told the newspaper.

The Coal Ministry is of the view that since Coal India is into mining, it is appropriate for the company to extract CMM too.

Currently, CMM is not tapped in India and is blown out of coal mines with the help of fans. CMM is available on the coal bed surface, which has to be simultaneously extracted while mining out coal unlike CBM. The CBM is extracted from virgin coal mines after drilling at least 250-300 metres.

At present, there are no estimates for CMM reserves in the country. CMM may be utilised to fire captive power units installed on the pit head of mines.