Always looking for newer and cleaner source of energy to meet leaping power demand of people, Jharkhand can now bank upon coal bed methane (CBM) at some of its prominent coal bearing areas. Confirmed reports and studies have proved that the State has at least 200 billion cubic meters (BCM) of extractable gas reserve which can be commercially viable as well.
Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFER) in its findings has validated the fact and presented a detailed report about viability of the gas extraction which otherwise remains trapped in the coal mines and escape to environment without any purpose during coal mining.
“We have come across the feasibility reports about CBM present in different coal mines of the State and also of rest of the country. As far as Jharkhand is concerned, the State has three major exploration blocks. The Jharia block has a reserve of 85 BCM of CBM while Bokaro has 45 BCM reserve. Another block named as North Karanpura has 65 BCM of the reserve,” Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, Senior Scientist and Head of Methane Emission and Degasification at CIMFER informed The Pioneer.
Singh, who was also a part of the Nobel prize-winning team of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007, hoped that since the blocks have been awarded to private and Government controlled PSUs commercial generation of the ‘clean’ fuel would start during 2016-17.
“Jharia block is owned by ONGC-Coal India limited. Similarly, the Bokaro block is with the Oil India limited and ONGC while North Karanpura is with ONGC. We have submitted the detailed report about all the three blocks and expect that CBM’s commercial production would commence in next year. Considering the quantum of reserve in the blocks, we estimate that up to 500 MW capacity of power plant can sustain and gas supply would continue for 25 to 30 years,” added Singh.
ONGC has drilled four R&D wells in 2000 at Parbat in Jharia coalfield and production testing results have been favorable. The Jharia CBM reserve is spread in 85 km2 while Bokaro and North Karanpura are in 95 km2 and 267 km2. The Centre through global bidding has awarded 33 virgin CBM blocks so far to different companies in different coal basins of the country.
CIMFER, in its report, though has also stressed on lying necessary infrastructure before going for commercial extraction and expects that the recent agreement between the State Government and Gas Authority of India limited (GAIl) would fill the gap sooner than later. “Besides power generation, the gas can be used in fertilizer plants, steel plants, for running vehicles and even as domestic fuel through piped supply to homes,” said CIMFER Director Pradeep Kumar Singh.
“Apart from the three major CBM blocks, there are Rajmahal and Ramgarh blocks also. But due to very poor saturation level commercial extraction from there is not feasible,” said Dr Ajay Kumar Singh. Methane unlike traditionally used CO2 produces greenhouse gases about 21 times less and that also without environmentally hazardous fly ashes.