Industrial production of coalbed methane in the Karaganda field – topic of International Forum

Representatives of large companies from Russia, Spain, China and USA working in the area or interested in the stakes in the project, were sharing the experience in extracting simple hydrocarbons from coalbeds.

 The forum, organized by Karaganda governorate, also the KazTransGas and  Sary-Arka home companies, is pursuant to development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, to seeking out the options for gasification in the country, and building in Kazakhstan a new energy industry.

- We are in talks with potential investors. The project’s aim is for Karaganda and Astana to use new energy sources. The question is their cost. To reduce it, we are studying the existing technology in the world, - deputy governor of the region Anuar Akhmetzhanov said in the interview.

The forecast resources of colliery gas in Karaganda field’s coalbeds are around 900 billion cubic meters. It is about 85% of the overall reserves in Kazakhstan. Total annual demand in gas in Karaganda region is 1-1.5 billion cubic meters. Back in the Soviet times, works were carried out in the coalfield on safe exploration and production of methane. The task now is upgrading technologies in the priority sectors of the economy.

According to local experts, the development of production and utilization of coalbed methane will give non-conventional clean energy and will partly replace the coal used in the energy of industrially developed central and eastern regions of Kazakhstan. In the utilities sector and in cars, methane, as international experience shows, will replace less environmentally friendly and more expensive liquid hydrocarbons and liquefied gas.

New productions open new jobs, as known, and with industrial development of CH4, coal mines’ emissions will decrease as well as the economic costs of the subsequent extraction of coal; mining safety in the pits will increase.

Director of the Spanish production company Cobro- Carlos Barat sees cooperation with Kazakhstan as promising and believes that in Karaganda region production costs will be much lower, than in Europe due to the natural conditions: flat terrain and shallow deposits.

The Saryarka SEC received two contracts for subsurface use, and survey works are already underway. Kazakhstan lacks own matured technology, it was stated. In the past year, first 800- meter well was drilled in Taldykuduk field, and the first experience proved that methane production is not as simple as it seemed.

- We thought it was enough to drill a well for the gas to go from it, like in the oil and gas extraction. But this method proved to be not applicable to methane, which has its own quirks and nuances, Esen Esirkeev - Taldykuduk drilling company- admitted. - We are now studying the difficulties and conducting tests.

Roadmap of the projects is ready, and relevant legislation is in the making. The process of industrial production of coalbed methane will take a long time, which in turn necessitates tax incentives to attract investors. The company expects to get down to commercial production no later than in 2017.