The Talda CBM refuelling station in Siberia
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has authorized the launch of the first post-Soviet Russia coal bed methane (CBM) production and utilization project, on February 12th. Taking advantage of the spotlight, project partners Gazprom and Kemerovo Region Administration organised an NGV conference and exhibition for the same day, displaying light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles — both OEM and converted — that use natural gas instead of gasoline and diesel. Invited to the conference were regional and local politicians, fleet managers and auto manufacturers.
The Talda Opencast Coal Mine CBM production site is equipped with its own CNG filling station (200 ncm/hour) to supply the company’s fleet of trucks, buses and cars. They have also acquired two mobile refueling units (2400 ncm capacity, each).
Located in the Kemerovo Region (Kuzbass) of the southeastern part of Western Siberia, the Talda CBM project is the result of ten years of close cooperation between the Russian gas giant Gazprom and the regional administration.
The current status of the CBM project is still considered experimental, in that production thus far is only 12,000 ncm — a mere shadow of the anticipated output of 3.5-4 Bcm annually. Kuzbass coal province is believed to have more than 13 trillion cubic meters of methane, while overall coal bed methane potential of Russia is estimated to exceed 50 Tcm.
The Russian NGV Association (NGVRUS), which has been monitoring the developments, says the next step for the Russian NGV market will be getting practical experience with biomethane.
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