China Issues Report on CBM Utilization Pilot Projects    

The National Energy Administration under NDRC (the National Development and Reform Commission) issued a report on the management and utilization of coalbed methane (CBM) pilot projects, related technology and progress made in equipment manufacturing at the end of July.
  NDRC arranged the construction of ten pilot CBM utilization projects and eight key technology and equipment development programs in an effort to boost safety of coal mines and make full use of CBM resource.
   A total of 1.52 billion cubic meters of CBM was harvested from the ten pilot projects in 2008, or 26% of the nation's total, the report said. Among them, 830 million cubic meters were utilized or 46% of national total, generating 620 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and supply 370 million cubic meters for residential use.
   Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Company, one of the companies undertaken the projects, started to exploit CBM in 2003 and is now engaged in CBM-based power generation, civil gas supply, heat supply, auto fuels and industrial fuels, which is the nation's largest in terms of CBM utilization. By May this year, the company has completed drilling 1 500 wells that could harvest 1.4 million cubic meters of CBM per day. Shanxi Jincheng has CBM-based power generation capacity of 189 000 kilowatts, using 320 million cubic meters of CBM per year.
    Shanxi Jincheng also has made remarkable achievements in the field of using CBM as an alternative auto fuel. All the taxies in Jincheng city are now powered by CBM, a company official said. CBM has higher burning efficiency compared with the same amount of the 93-octane gasoline, and it discharges no emission.
   Also, a power plant which could generate 90 million kWh a year using 40 million cubic meters of CBM started operation at the end of July in Rujigou mine area in Ningxia's Taixi anthracite coal base, known as the "the king of coal".
   Hebei and Xinjiang have also drafted their respective CBM development and utilization plans.
   These pilot projects and research programs have given valuable experience for large scale CBM use in coal mines across the country, the report said. The technologies include exploitation of gas, control of outburst, checking and monitoring as well as utilization.