Coal Bed Methane Market Size, Share and Global Trend By Extraction Technology (Horizontal Drilling, Hydraulic Fracturing, CO2 Sequestration), By Application (Power Generation, Chemical, Fertilizers, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Coal bed methane also is known as coal seam gas or coal mine methane is an unconventional form of energy that is used for the power generation. Coal bed methane is generally associated with the coal deposits and is extracted from coal seams. The coal bed methane is formed from the coalification process of plant material to coal and is an environment-friendly source of energy, unlike fossil fuels.

Coal bed methane is recovered from underground coal resources during the mining operations. The extraction of coal bed methane is carried out using vertical and horizontal drilling into the coal seams and eliminating the water content of the seam gas.

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By extraction technology, the coal bed methane market is bifurcated on the basis of the extraction of coal bed methane using horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing or CO2 sequestration methods. The horizontal drilling method is expected to hold a significant share in the coal bed methane market by technology as the other methods are in the introduction phase for the commercial uses.

By application, the coal bed methane market is bifurcated on the basis of usage of coal bed methane in power generation, chemical, fertilizer, and plastic production among other applications. Coal bed methane fired power plants are erected in different regions in order to generate electricity using coal bed methane.

Coal bed methane is also used as feedstock in the production of liquefied natural gas, chemical, fertilizer and plastics among others. The power generation segment is expected to dominate the coal bed methane market by application owing to the low penetration of coal bed methane as a feedstock in other applications.

Coal bed methane is converted to the liquefied natural gas which is considered to be a clean energy source owing to which, the LNG has high demand in the regions with strict regulations for fossil fuels. This is expected to create lucrative opportunities for the growth of coal bed methane in the near future.

The exploration cost of coal bed methane is also less as compared to that of other gases. Owing to this, the coal bed methane exploration activities are expected to increase in the near future and add in the growth of the coal bed methane market.

The LNG produced using alternatives such as natural gas is more economical as compared to that produced from coal bed methane. Owing to this, the coal bed methane market is expected to have less penetration in the residential applications as compared to the other applications in the regions where coal bed methane is not produced.

Key Players Covered

Some of the major companies that are present in the global coal bed methane market are BG Group, Clarke Energy, Arrow Energy, Santos Ltd, Deep Industries Limited, Origin Energy, Australia Pacific LNG, China United Coalbed Methane Corp., SGS, Epiroc, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, and Green Eastern Energy Corporation Limited among others.

SEGMENTATION

Regional Analysis

The global coal bed methane market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The U.S holds a prominent share in the global coal bed methane production and Canada, on the other hand, holds a smaller share as compared to the U.S in the global coal bed methane production. Increasing demand for the liquefied natural gas is expected to boost the coal bed methane production in the North America region, owing to which, the coal bed methane market is likely to expand at higher rates in North America over the forecast period. The coal bed market in the Europe region is highly dependent on coal bed methane production in Russia, U.K, Germany, and Poland among other countries. Russia is expected to hold a significant share in the coal bed methane market in the Europe region owing to its increasing production capacities of coal bed methane in the recent past. This is expected to create huge potential growth opportunities for the growth of the coal bed methane market in the region.

Asia Pacific region is expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the growth of the coal bed market owing to the high demand for the energy and LNG in the region. China, Australia, and India are expected to remain the key markets for the coal bed methane market in the Asia Pacific region in the near future. Northern Columbia and South Africa in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa regions respectively have minimal production capacities of coal bed methane, and the production rate in the region is expected to grow at moderate rates in the coming years. Owing to this, the coal bed methane market is expected to witness marginal growth in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa regions over the forecast period.

Key Industry Developments

• In July 2019, a joint venture between Origin Energy, ConcoPhillips, and Sinopec was awarded a contract from a US$ 25 billion project that involves the processing of coal bed methane to liquefied natural gas. Origin Energy with a 37.5% stake in the joint venture will raise US$ 943 million through the contract
• In July 2019, the Botswana government has announced its plans to develop a coal bed methane fired power plant. The capacity of the plant is expected to be around 10MW and the plant is likely to generate gross revenue of about US$ 10 million per anum
• In October 2018, Reliance Group announced its plans to start the production of coal bed methane from a coal bed methane block which was awarded to the company in the year 2006