India has an urgent need to improve its energy security. The country has a huge demand for natural gas which is met either by importing LNG or through some local production.  It is estimated that the total gas supply shortfall in India will on average exceed 10 Billion Cubic Foot Daily (BCFD) between 2020-2030 according to various government reports.

Expensive LNG is restricting India’s economic growth. India has the fifth largest coal reserves in the world and there is a massive potential to produce coal bed methane of similar magnitude for its local market. This will reduce not just its dependence on importing gas but it will be clean gas.

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is about 95 to 97% CH₄ which is 1 carbon and 4 hydrogen molecules.  Outside of sunlight or pure hydrogen, when CBM is used within 500 kms of the distance it is produced, we believe it is among the cleanest forms of energy available.  CBM is produced from the deep un-mineable coal seams and from depths deeper than 300 meters.  This is not conventional coal extraction or coal gasification.  The methane gas which is trapped adsorb gas among the layers of the coal seam is produced from CBM Wells.

India has world’s 5^th largest coal reserves and consequently large CBM gas reserves.

Acknowledgement: Sources – (Cook et al., 2013; US Energy Information Administration, 2010)

We estimate that our project will produce energy equivalent to the power produced in two large conventional coal thermal power plants.  The success of our project will help reduce India’s need for building of more coal-based power plants.

Resolve made by India at the 2016 Paris Accord:

To reduce emissions by 30% of the 2005 levels by 2030

• In 2005 this was 1 billion cubic meter (BCM)
• In 2015 Methane escaping due to coal mining in India was ~1.4 billion cubic meter (BCM)

Resource available:  Government of India estimates coal bed methane resource stands at 2.6 trillion cubic meter (TCM). We understand these will be much higher.

Keeping in line with the global target, including that of the EU, the objective is to make clean energy widely accessible by developing CBM in either of the following Indian states of:

1. Orissa, India
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Maharashtra
4. Assam

Other states of India like Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, etc. also have potential for significant quantities of CBM gas.

Our coal bed methane gas project will generate clean energy equivalent to 3600 Megawatt-hr.

CBM Wells also produce a significant amount of water which we plan to treat and provide to the local civic bodies at no profit wherever we will develop the project.

CBM gas can be used to run gas turbines which can start rapidly and connect to the electricity grid.  As India increases its Solar and Wind power generation, the gas turbine-based power generation can help to stabilize its electricity grid to meet the variations in Solar (example cloudy days) and Wind power generation.

There will be lower particulate matter in the atmosphere as CBM industry slowly over next two to three decades reduces the demand for old and aging coal-based power plants.  Cleaner air will improve public health.

Gathering Gas, Removing Water and Delivering to Customers

A number of Wells have to be drilled to produce and gather gas from deep un-minable coal seams.  The gas and water produced is separated.  Produced water has low dissolved solids which will be removed before this water is sent to local civic bodies for beneficial use.  The produced water reduces over time and gas production stabilizes.  A typical plant schematic is shown: