Polish Miners Aim to Boost CBM Output
Four Polish companies are to co-operate to produce more gas from coalbeds as well as improve safety of miners and lower coal production costs in their Geo-Metan project, they said January 12.
The four are state-run PGNiG and the mining companies Polska Grupa Gornicza, Jastrzebska Spolka Węglowa and Tauron, and their work will extend to future coal producing areas. Tauron also has significant power generation and distribution interests in Poland.
“Coalbed methane (CBM) has potential to considerably improve our national energy security. What is more, the reduction of methane content in coal seams will significantly increase the safety of hard coal mining and may accelerate coal production. I am happy that other Polish mining and energy companies are going to partner with PGNiG to develop our own CBM extraction technologies,” said Piotr Wozniak, CEO of PGNiG which is 71,88% state-owned.
PGG CEO Tomasz Rogola said its mines had applied CBM drainage methods for years as part of their ongoing effort to prevent methane risks and ensure the safety of miners and mining operations. The gas is used as an energy source in heating and cogeneration plants for combined heat and power production, and the partnership will allow greater efficiency of CBM removal by using directional drilling.
Coal producer JSB said it wanted to maximise its use of CBM, in line with its 2030 strategy; it hopes to increase electricity output from gas plants from the current 90 GWh to 490 GWh after 2022.
PGNiG, in partnership with the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PIG-PIB), has already begun test CBM extraction in Gilowice, Katowice Province. Launched in February 2017, the test production has so far yielded close to 900,000 m³ of methane-rich natural gas. PIG-PIB has estimated producible CBM reserves in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin of southwest Poland at about 170bn m³.