China's largest coalbed methane field reports record daily gas output

TAIYUAN, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Qinshui coalbed methane field in north China's Shanxi Province, the largest of its kind in the country, produced 7 million cubic meters of gas on Tuesday, hitting a fresh daily high, according to the Shanxi coalbed methane branch of the PetroChina Huabei Oilfield.

Located in the southeast of Shanxi, the PetroChina Huabei Oilfield's Qinshui coalbed methane field spans more than 3,000 square km, with an estimated reserve of 600 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane.

In 2006, the Huabei Oilfield acquired the right to mine coalbed methane in Shanxi's Qinshui Basin, and subsequently built the first coalbed methane field in China with an annual surface extraction capacity of more than 2 billion cubic meters.

Shanxi is one of the Chinese regions abundant in coalbed methane resources. The utilization of coalbed methane, which is a byproduct of coal, can help reduce risks in mining, cut greenhouse gas emissions and ease gas shortages.