Figure 9: Major coalbed Methane reserves

CBM can be found almost anywhere there is coal. Figure 9 shows CBM resources by top countries. Deep coal seams beyond the reach of mining operations present opportunities for development of CBM. The largest proven recoverable coal reserves, according to the

latest published data, are in the USA (28.6%), followed by Russia (18.5%), China (13.5%), Australia (9.0%) and India (6.7%). Indonesia has highly prospective CBM potential, with an estimated 453 Tcf of in-place resources located mainly in Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces. Depending on the source, Russia’s resource estimates range from 600 to 2,825 Tcf.

Global CBM production totals 5.8 Bcfd (billion cubif feet per day) from 15 basins in the USA, Canada, Australia, China, and India. The USA still dominates with nearly 5 Bcfd of production and about 20 Tcf produced to date, but production there is expected to fall going forward because of resource maturity and depletion. Australia may well displace the USA as the top- ranked producer, making a projected 6 Bcfd by 2020 once its LNG export plants are fully operational. CBM production in China (150 MMcfd) and India (10 MMcfd) is struggling due to more challenging geologic conditions and low well productivity.