en.Wedoany.com Reported - Deputy Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan, Erlan Akbarov, announced at the Coal Forum of the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress that a coalbed methane extraction project will be launched in the Karaganda region. This information was disclosed by the portal inbusiness.kz.

According to the Deputy Minister, the natural gas reserves in the Karaganda coal basin exceed 2 trillion cubic meters. The methane content in this coal seam is higher than in most coal basins worldwide, reaching up to 25 cubic meters per ton of coal, which provides favorable conditions for the coalbed methane project.

To accelerate the project's launch, the Ministry of Energy proposes extending the simplified procedure for granting subsoil use rights currently in effect in Kazakhstan to the Karaganda coal basin. This procedure is currently only applicable to under-explored oil and gas fields, and the new adjustment will enable potential investors to quickly process the necessary documents and begin developing methane resources.

One of the most promising areas within the Karaganda coal basin is the Sherubainura district. Due to high rock permeability, the methane content in this area reaches 22 to 25 cubic meters per ton of coal. Currently, eight wells have been drilled in this area and core samples have been extracted, with tests completed in laboratories in the United States, China, Russia, and Poland.

Screening and exploration work has been completed in this area, but the pilot production phase has not yet begun. This phase typically takes one and a half to three years and is crucial for determining the efficiency of industrial methane extraction. According to a presentation by the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, the successful implementation of the methane extraction project in the Karaganda coal basin requires further refinement of technical standards and environmental regulations.

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