Coal India May Revive CBM Tapping

Coal India Ltd is likely to revive extraction and commercial utilisation of nearly 25 billion cubic metres of coal-bed methane (CBM) from five mining assets in Jharkhand through private participation.

The proposal was previously put on the backburner due to disagreement on issues between ministry of coal and, ministry of petroleum and natural gas.

CIL invited bids from CBM operators in April-May this year for commercial exploitation of the gas and mining of over 100 million tonnes of medium grade coking coal. However, the tender could not be closed in the face of opposition from ministry of petroleum and natural gas, which claimed authority over commercial utilisation of CBM resources in India.

However, after a series of meetings, the two ministries have agreed to clear the ground for the project.