Coalbed methane potential in the Appalachian states of Pennsylvania,West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee--An overview

Paul C. Lyons
Open-File Report 96-735

Conclusions

The central and northern Appalachian basin began significant CBM production in 1992 and, therefore, unlike the Black Warrior coal field, is probably in its infancy with respect to CBM production. Figure 7 shows for 1994 and 1995 the increasing share of CBM production in the central and northern Appalachian as compared with the Black Warrior Basin of Alabama,the second largest producing CBM basin in the United States (Rice, 1995).

The greatest CBM potential in the central and northern Appalachian basin is in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia (including the Valley coal fields). There is too little CBM information in eastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, and northern Tennessee to rank the CBM potential of these states with respect to each other. Maryland has no CBM information available, so its CBM potential needs to be determined; the Georges Creek coal field of Maryland holds the greatest CBM potential for Maryland coal fields because of its low volatile bituminous rank; thick coals, some up to 22 ft thick; and greatest overburden, as much as about 2,000 ft. locally.

About 95% of the 1994 CBM production in the central and northern Appalachian basin came from Virginia, where it is a growing multi-million dollar business. In view of this fact and 1994 and 1995 CBM production trends in Pennsylvania and West Virginia--the states with the greatest potential for CBM development--this implies that the central and northern Appalachian basin are frontier areas for CBM exploration and development. Current trends in these parts of the Appalachian basin indicate that CBM production could be over 70 Bcf annually by the turn of the century, which represents less than 1% of the estimated recoverable CBM resources in the central and northern Appalachian basin (Rice, 1995). CBM production in the Appalachian basin has become increasingly important because Appalachian tight gas sands production--the mainstay of Appalachian gas production--leveled off in 1993 and 1994 at 396 Bcf (Kuuskraa et al., 1996). Legal matters of CBM ownership and environmental problems such as water disposal will be important issues to resolve in the various states. Also, the abatement of the escape of methane, a well-known greenhouse gas, from coal beds and coal mines due to CBM production will have a beneficial affect on coal-mine safety and may also have a favorable influence on global warming. CBM development in the Appalachian states could reduce our dependence on high-sulfur coal and will provide a clean source of fossil fuel.

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