Shanxi extracts 6.27 bln cubic meters coalbed methane in Jan.-July

TAIYUAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's coal-rich province of Shanxi extracted 6.27 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent, accounting for about 82.1 percent of the country's total, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

Utilizing coalbed methane, a byproduct of coal, can help reduce risks in mining, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and ease gas shortages.

Shanxi is one of several Chinese regions with abundant coalbed methane resources. It has an estimated reserve of 8.31 trillion cubic meters of coalbed methane located up to 2,000 meters below ground.

By the end of 2020, Shanxi's accumulated proven coalbed methane reserves had reached nearly 660.13 billion cubic meters, accounting for 90.94 percent of the country's total.

The province has tried the model of gas management in coal mines, characterized by "gas mining before coal mining and integrated mining of gas and coal," providing a new model of safe production in coal mines with high gas concentrations in China.