Push for coalbed methane fired up

With its cumulative proven coalbed methane reserves surpassing 1 trillion cubic meters — ranking first in the country — Shanxi province is establishing unconventional natural gas as a strategic provincial priority.

Historically recognized as China's premier coal powerhouse, Shanxi has been orchestrating an ambitious transition toward a diversified, low-carbon energy system during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, balancing national energy supply security with green development, according to a recently released government plan.

Under its newly outlined blueprint, the northern province will continue safeguarding national energy security by securing stable thermal coal supplies, while accelerating the intelligent, eco-friendly transformation of mining operations and upgrading its integrated production, supply, storage and marketing network.

Concurrently, Shanxi is stepping up the exploration and extraction of unconventional natural gas, aiming for an annual output of 30 billion cu m by 2030, with the industrial chain's total output value projected to exceed 100 billion yuan ($14.9 billion).

Commonly known in mining circles as gas, coalbed methane is an unconventional natural gas trapped within coal seams, primarily composed of methane. Boasting a calorific value one to four times higher than standard coal, it burns cleanly with virtually no toxic waste gas or solid residues.

Shanxi is home to exceptionally abundant CBM resources with immense development potential. According to the Shanxi Provincial Coalbed Methane Resource Exploration and Development Plan (2021-25), the province's estimated CBM resources buried at depths of up to 2,000 meters reach approximately 8.31 trillion cu m, accounting for nearly one-third of the national total.

Capitalizing on this profound natural endowment, Shanxi has steadily augmented its technological innovation support and scientific research investment in recent years. The province has coordinated exploration, pipeline network storage and transportation, local consumption, and downstream industrial construction, fundamentally completing the construction of China's largest CBM production base.

In the first half, Shanxi's total CBM output reached 7.89 billion cu m, accounting for approximately 81 percent of the country's total CBM production during the same period.

Yao Qinglin, director of the Department of Natural Resources of Shanxi Province, stated that the province has set up 98 CBM mining titles across a total area of about 24,100 square kilometers. This has established a diversified operational landscape anchored by central State-owned enterprises, supplemented by active participation from foreign energy firms and private players.

On the clean energy front, the province is fundamentally reshaping its power generation mix through synchronized, centralized and distributed development. Shanxi plans to add 100 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity over the next five years, anchored by a cluster of large-scale wind and solar bases.

Clean heating coverage from geothermal sources is slated to surpass 100 million square meters by 2030, complemented by an accelerated deployment of integrated green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol projects.