China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) recently released its list of the Top 10 Landmark Achievements in National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development for 2024. Among them, the rapid increase in deep coalbed gas production to 2.5 billion cubic meters within just three years has emerged as a key highlight in China’s expanding natural gas output.
Source: Economic Daily
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) recently released its list of the Top 10 Landmark Achievements in National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development for 2024. Among them, the rapid increase in deep coalbed gas production to 2.5 billion cubic meters within just three years has emerged as a key highlight in China’s expanding natural gas output.
Deep coalbed gas refers to hydrocarbon gases found in coal reservoirs at depths greater than 1,500 meters, either generated within the coalbed or migrated from other sources. As a coal-rich country, China possesses abundant and widely distributed coalbed gas resources with vast exploration and development potential. However, uncertainties in reservoir formation, poor reservoir permeability, and complex extraction challenges have historically made deep coalbed gas difficult to develop.
As an important alternative natural gas resource, deep coalbed gas is becoming a key focus of China’s unconventional oil and gas exploration efforts. According to Zhou Lihong, Executive Director of PetroChina Coalbed Methane Company, China’s coalbed methane reserves have grown significantly, with a cumulative increase of 320 billion cubic meters over the past three years, 77% of which comes from deep coalbed gas. In 2024, PetroChina Coalbed Methane Company produced nearly 2 billion cubic meters of deep coalbed gas, highlighting its increasing role in China’s energy supply.
Zhou noted that China’s energy resource structure is characterized by coal abundance, limited oil, and scarce gas. Many of the country’s basins contain extensive deep coal formations, forming large, continuous coalbed gas-rich zones with substantial development potential.
By 2025, China’s coalbed (coal-derived) gas production is expected to reach 17 billion cubic meters. Looking ahead to 2035, the country aims to confirm 50 trillion cubic meters of deep coalbed gas reserves, with annual production projected to reach 40–50 billion cubic meters, playing a significant role in enhancing China’s energy security.