Shanxi accounts for 80% of China’s coalbed methane production

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On the afternoon of September 27, a forum on improving efficiency and quality through co-extraction of coal and coalbed methane was held in Taiyuan. Statistical data show that in 2024, the production of coalbed methane in our province reached 13.43 billion cubic meters, accounting for approximately 80.6% of the national production during the same period. 　　Shanxi is a province in China with high concentrations of coalbed methane resources and great development potential. The \"Planning for the Exploration and Development of Coalbed Methane Resources in Shanxi Province (2021–2025)\」shows that the estimated coalbed methane resources at depths of up to 2,000 meters in Shanxi Province amount to approximately 8.31 trillion cubic meters, accounting for nearly one-third of the country’s total resources. Statistical data show that coalbed methane production in Shanxi was less than 1.9 billion cubic meters in 2007, rising to 13.43 billion cubic meters by 2024, accounting for approximately 80.6% of the country’s total production during the same period. To date, our province has developed 6 gas fields with a capacity of 1 billion cubic meters each, establishing two industrial bases for coalbed methane in the Qinshui Basin and the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin. 　　The Forum on Improving Efficiency and Quality through Co-extraction of Coal and Coalbed Methane is an important part of the 2025 Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum. At the forum, professionals and corporate representatives from home and abroad gathered to exchange information on the latest policies and technologies related to the extraction and utilization of coalbed methane, offering Shanxi’s solutions to promote the green transformation of China’s coal industry and help achieve the \"dual carbon\" goals. The guests present offered suggestions on topics such as the prospects for co-extraction of coal and coalbed methane, accelerating the development of new productive forces across the entire industry chain for coalbed methane exploration and production, and the efficient exploitation of coalbed methane in deep deposits. They said that our province ranks among the top in the country in terms of proven reserves of coalbed methane, and increasing such reserves is of great significance for advancing the comprehensive reform pilot programs related to the energy revolution, promoting a green and low-carbon transformation of the energy industry, supporting the high-quality development of the entire province, as well as ensuring a supply of clean energy and energy security.