Dhanbad. The process of commercial exploitation and production of methane gas from coal mines of Jharkhand has accelerated. If the work is done according to the roadmap set by the Central Government, then the methane gas extracted from the coal mines of Jharia, Gomia and North Karanpura areas of Jharkhand will start reaching different parts of the country through pipeline by the end of next year. It will be used for power generation, cooking gas and as fuel for vehicles.
For commercial production of methane, in the first phase, the central government has identified 15 coal bed methane blocks with an area of eight and a half thousand square kilometers in six states. Three of these blocks are in Jharkhand. Their area is 503.11 sq km. The target is to produce 50 billion cubic meters of gas from CBM (coal bed methane) by 2023-24.
Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries have started production preparations in all the three blocks located in Jharkhand. The first is being started from Jharia of Munidih field of BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited). For production and distribution of methane from CBM (Coal Bed Methane)-1 present here, a 30-year agreement has been signed with Prabha Energy Pvt. The gas generated from here will be transported to other parts of the country through GAIL’s Urja Ganga pipeline. This pipeline has been laid at a distance of just 8 km from Munidih.
BCCL CMD Samiran Dutta says that this is one of our ambitious projects. The production and marketing of methane will not only increase the company’s revenue, but will also prove to be very important in meeting the energy related challenges. Exploitation of methane will not only reduce the leakage of gas and accidents in the mines, it will also increase the revenue of the company.
The Gujarat-based company with which the agreement has been signed for Jharia CBM will operate under the Mine Developer and Operator mode. That is, BCCL will provide the land for this project, while the responsibility of equipment, manpower, production and distribution will be given to Prabha Energy Pvt. Ltd. will be near BCCL will get 10 percent of the profit from the project.
Explain that methane is natural gas. It is found deep in the ground. Especially it is found in coal mines. This is called coal bed methane. In Jharkhand, reserves of 16 lakh cubic meters of methane gas have been detected in Dhanbad, Ramgarh and Bokaro. Along with Coal India Limited, ONGC is also working on its production and exploitation projects. ONGC has decided to dig around 300 wells in these areas. About 400 MW of electricity will be generated from this gas every year and methane gas can be made available as an alternative to LPG to more than 20 lakh households.
—AnyTV News
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