Government allocates 7 coal bed methane blocks for exploration
29 Jul 2010
The government today signed exploration contracts with various companies for seven coal bed methane blocks awarded under the fourth round of CBM auction (CBM-IV).
These include four blocks awarded to Essar Oil Limited, one block awarded to Great Eastern Energy Corporation Limited, one block awarded to a consortium of Arrow Energy (AS) Pte Ltd and Oil India Limited, and one block awarded to a consortium of Arrow Energy (ST) Pte Ltd and Tata Power Company Limited.
The seven CBM blocks are spread over the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
With this, the government has signed a total of 33 CBM contracts till date. The seven blocks together have a resource potential of 330 billion cubic metres and are expected to attract investments of over $150 million.
Out of a total estimated CBM resources of 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF) in the country 8.9 TCF have been established so far, minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Jitin Prasada said. The minister also asked exploration companies to recognise the need for concerted efforts in exploration and production to achieve energy security for the country.
On the issue of overlapping of block area between coal and CBM gas operator, additional secretary at the ministry of coal said the issue would be resolved shortly by developing suitable policy framework.
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