Gazprom to Produce Coal-Bed Methane

Gazprom plans to start extracting methane from coal deposits in the Southern Kuzbass region. The company plans to drill 30 new wells next year.

The amount of methane in the Taldin region, where the gas is being extracted, is estimated at almost 100 billion cubic meters. Originally, gas will be used as motor fuel and to generate electricity. The South Kuzbass region plans to produce gas to meet its demands. This is a promising project says the director of the economic department of the Natural Resources Ministry, Grigory Vygon.

“Undoubtedly, this is a promising method because the de-gassing lowers risks when developing coal mines and paves the way for realizing the programme of gasification without building expensive gas pipelines in the coal-rich regions, says Vygon. “Moreover, the replacement of coal by gas for heating and power generation improves the ecological situation in the region. This creates new jobs too,” he said.

According to experts, methane resources in coal deposits in Russia can be compared with traditional natural gas resources and is estimated at 83 trillion cubic meters. This figure in the Kuzbass region is 13 trillion cubic meters.

The composition of coal-bed gas is similar to natural gas produced in western Siberia. In fact, the content of methane in some places might be better and may reach even to 98 percent. However, there is a problem. The coal-bed gas is a low pressure gas, and consequently, its efficiency is lower than that of traditional gas deposits. This means, its transportation over a long distance will not be profitable. It can be used for local gasification. This gas is similar to shale gas produced in the U.S.

China, the U.S. and Australia are also implementing similar projects. The activities by Gazprom will likely be followed by other Russian companies, growing the role of coal-bed methane in the future.

Source: Voice of Russia