In China, Petrochina, China United Coalbed Methane Corp and Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group are the major players in the exploration, development and utilization of coal-bed methane resources.
These companies have also extensive cooperation with big multinational companies such as Shell and BP. There are a number of major projects in operation or in planning in China, including the largest CMM project in the world, the Shanxi Jincheng power project at the Sihe Coal Mine with 120 MW of electrical output.
China’s huge CBM market has attracted the attention of many foreign companies and in the past year or so, foreign investment in China’s coal bed methane and coal mine methane industries has skyrocketed.
Multinational corporations, including such blue-chip companies as Caterpillar, General Electric, and Chevron, have invested $25.4 billion into the sector. Companies like Fortune Oil, Enviro Energy, Far East Energy and Sino Gas and Energy are all China’s major CBM and unconventional gas players. Coalbed Methane’s role is modest, even in the few countries with commercial development programs. But its advantages, particularly in those regions with large coal reserves, are too important to ignore.
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