Gazprom Unveils Russia’s First CBM Unit

Gazprom has opened Russia’s first coal bed methane (CBM) production facility in the Taldinskoye coalfield, about 65km north of Novokuznetsk in southwestern Siberia.

The facility will expand resources for Gazprom’s CBM production in Kuzbass that has an estimated CBM resource base of about 13 trillion cubic metres.

The Taldinskoye CBM field’s total gas reserves approved by the Russian Natural Resources and Ecology Ministry in May 2009 account for 45.8 billion cubic metres.

Gazprom chairman Alexey Millar said the project will ensure gas supply to the southern region of western Siberia, improve the environment and form the energy basis for further socio-economic development of the region with natural gas as the primary feedstock.

In 2009, seven exploratory wells had been opened at the first pilot production area of the Taldinskoye field.