Coal-Bed Methane Exploration in China

Haijun Qiu, Dawei Zhang, Shoumai Ren, Dewu Qiao, Chunshuang Jin, Wenli Jiang, and Chuanfang Liu
Strategic Research Center of Oil and Gas Resources, Ministry of Land and Resources, Beijing, China

China is the largest coal producing country in the world as well as the largest coal consuming country in the world. The national coalbed methane resources are 37 trillion cubic meters, located no deeper than 2,000 meters underground. 40 percent of the resources are in East China gas reservoir, 18 percent are in Central China, 26 percent are in West area of China and 16 percent are in South China. Over 46 percent of China's coal mines are rich in gas and over 1.3 billion cubic meters of gas are being emitted each year without getting effective use.

China is estimated to have the world's third-largest coalbed methane resources, which will play an important role in the country's plan to become a low-carbon economy. Coal-bed gas is not only an effective alternative energy source for China, the mining and use of it could also be helpful to avoid coal mine accidents as well as reducing the emission of methane.

Since the 1990s, experimental coalbed methane exploration activities have been carried out by domestic industrial sectors such as coal, petroleum oil and geological and mineral industries.

The Chinese government is attaching more attention to the development of coal-bed gas from 2006 to 2010. China plans to increase its annual coal-bed gas output to 10 billion cubic meters in 2010 and 40 billion cubic meters in 2020. China has launched a coalbed methane liquefaction project that boasts the country's largest daily production capacity.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas