The Kemerovo Oblast hosted today the ceremony of launching Russia’s first facility for coalbed methane (CBM) production. The facility was put onstream in the Taldinskoye field.

Taking part in the event were Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation; Anatoly Kvashnin, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Russian Federation President to the Siberian Federal Okrug; Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Aman Tuleev, Governor of the Kemerovo Oblast.

“Today we have made a crucial step towards creating a new segment in the Russian fuel and energy complex – CBM production.

Probable CBM resources are abundant in our country – around 84 trillion cubic meters, which is commensurate with one-third of Russia’s probable gas resources. At the same time, a substantial expansion of the resource base is among the objectives pursued by Gazprom through its project for CBM production in Kuzbass.

These activities will significantly raise coal production security that is extremely important for all the citizens of the Kemerovo Oblast. The project will ensure gas supply to and gasification of Western Siberia’s south, improve the environment and form the energy basis for further socio-economic development of the region with natural gas as the primary feedstock,” stated Alexey Miller.

Background:

The Kuzbass CBM resource base is estimated at 13 trillion cubic meters, which secures its large-scale production (beyond the mine fields) as a separate natural resource.

The Taldinskoye CBM field is located in the central part of the Erunakovsky geological-economic area of the Kuznetsky basin within the Novokuznetsky and Prokopyevsky Districts of the Kemerovo Oblast 65 kilometers to the north of the city of Novokuznetsk. The field’s C1+C2 gas reserves approved by the Russian Natural Resources and Ecology Ministry in May 2009 account for 45.8 billion cubic meters.

In 2005 Gazprom established a research and testing site for the CBM production technology development in the eastern part of the Taldinskoye field. The researchers from Gazprom promgaz created Russia’s first CBM production technology there. 31 international and Russian patents were received across the entire process cycle from exploration to utilization of CBM. Two-thirds of the equipment items used during the pilot project execution were made in Russia.

In 2009 pilot operation of seven exploratory wells was launched at the first pilot production area of the Taldinskoye field. Gazprom dobycha Kuznetsk, a fully-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is the license owner.

During the plateau period, annual CBM production in Kuzbass is planned to reach some 4 billion cubic meters, with a subsequent increase to 18–21 billion cubic meters in the long term so as to meet gas demand in other Western Siberia’s southern regions.