Abundant reserves of unconventional natural gas; Henan looks forward to a \"shale gas revolution\"”

Thread Content

At the beginning of this century, a \"shale gas revolution\" transformed the energy market landscape in the United States and around the world. At present, our country has become one of the major producers of shale gas. Henan Province is exceptionally rich in unconventional natural gas, and it may witness a new energy revolution. “Within a decade, Henan could experience a ‘shale gas revolution’. ”Recently, experts from within and outside the province who attended a seminar on coalbed methane from structural coal and unconventional natural gas in coal-bearing strata in Zhengzhou said. Coalbed methane, shale gas, and tight sandstone gas are known as unconventional natural gases. What is the difference between them and conventional natural gas? Wang Tianshun, director of the Provincial Coalfield Geology Bureau, used an analogy: conventional natural gas exists in a free state, like something stored in a balloon, and can be extracted by simply inserting a pipe; whereas unconventional natural gas exists in an adsorbed state, like something hidden within coal piles or rocks, and requires significant effort to be extracted. “Although the extraction methods differ, their composition is primarily methane; for example, coalbed methane is essentially gas. ”He said there is no difference for ordinary people when using it. Henan Province has abundant reserves of unconventional natural gas, amounting to approximately 7.5 trillion cubic meters, while the province’s annual consumption of natural gas currently stands at 8.5 billion cubic meters. “It can be said that beneath us lies a truly enormous treasure. ”Shi Biao, deputy chief engineer of the Provincial Coalfield Geology Bureau, said. What benefits can this treasure bring to Henan? Shi Biao believes that the first one is substantial economic benefits. He said that the gas used to be vented away, but if it is utilized, extracting one ton of coal can save around 100 yuan. Henan Province’s current coal production capacity is over 100 million tons per year, and just this alone results in savings of over 10 billion yuan. There is also a subsidy of 0.3 yuan per cubic meter for the extraction of coalbed methane, and adding the market value of natural gas itself, the benefits are quite substantial. On the other hand, the utilization of unconventional natural gas can drive the adjustment of Henan Province’s energy industry structure. At present, in the province’s structure of primary energy production, coal remains the dominant source, with natural gas accounting for only 0.5%. If coalbed methane can be developed and utilized as soon as possible, the share of clean energy will surely increase significantly. Furthermore, the development and utilization of coalbed methane also holds great significance for energy security. “We consume 8.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, while we only produce 400 million cubic meters on our own; most of it has to be purchased from others. If there is a shortage in other regions, we will definitely face a gas shortage. ”Shi Biao said that once coalbed methane development is advanced, we will be able to achieve \"self-sufficiency\" to a large extent. Compared to economic benefits, experts attending the meeting said that the social benefits brought by coalbed methane would be even more significant. “The most direct one is the environmental benefit. ”Men Xiangyong, an expert from the Strategic Research Center for Oil and Gas Resources at the Ministry of Land and Resources, said that Henan is located near the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei smog control center, making it face significant challenges in environmental pollution control. As a clean energy source, the development and utilization of coalbed methane undoubtedly contributes to energy conservation and emission reduction. At the same time, studies have shown that the greenhouse effect of coalbed methane is 21 times that of carbon dioxide; releasing it directly is not only wasteful but also harmful to the ecosystem. The utilization of coalbed methane is also a significant benefit for the safe production of coal mining enterprises. According to incomplete statistics, gas accidents account for over 80% of the major accidents in China’s coal mines, making them the true culprit. “In production, gas should be extracted first, followed by coal. Development experiences both domestically and internationally show that the exploitation of coalbed methane can turn a hazard into an asset, effectively mitigating the safety risks posed by gas. ”Men Xiangyong believes. At present, the development and utilization of coalbed methane remain intangible in Henan Province. Experts say that large-scale utilization of coalbed methane in Henan is likely to occur in the middle to later stages of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Wang Dewei, director of the Provincial Key Laboratory for Coal and Coalbed Methane, explained that this is mainly due to technical and financial constraints. Technically, most of the coal resources in Henan Province are structural coal; the coal seams are loose and lack stability, and there are no mature technical solutions available either domestically or internationally, so adopting existing technologies is not an option. In terms of funding, this project requires substantial investment, a long implementation period, and carries certain risks regarding returns, which results in low enthusiasm among companies to participate in it; therefore, coordination and support at a higher level are necessary. “Our short-term plan is to drill 1 to 2 vertical wells in cities such as Hebi, Jiaozuo, and Pingdingshan between 2018 and 2020, respectively, for development testing and feasibility assessment. ”Once mining is implemented, Henan’s economy will experience significant growth.