Nothing has essentially changed in the energy sector since Naftohaz and Gazprom announced an intention at the end of 2010 to set up a joint venture to produce methane, the “killer gas.” No JV [joint venture. – Ed.] has been set up, but, as experts maintain, Gazprom has staked out a claim to this niche.
This is occurring even though the president of Ukraine officially says that emphasis will be further put on coal in this country’s energy balance in order to jump off Russia’s “gas needle.” So the accompanying extraction of methane could not only promote energy independence but also make the work of miners safer.
Experts note that scientific circles now prefer the term “coal-and-gas beds” rather than “gas beds.” The point is that methane, which still poses a problem in Ukraine during coal extraction, has long been as valuable a resource as coal in the world.
THE POTENTIAL IS OVER 12 TRILLION CUBIC METERS
Specialists estimate that the total reserves of methane in Ukrainian coal beds exceed 12 trillion cubic meters. Yet Ukraine still confines itself to extracting this gas on an experimental, rather than commercial, scale. Today, according to Valerii BOROVYK, chairman of the board of directors of New Energy of Ukraine Alliance, this country produces a mere 20 million cubic meters of methane a year from gas beds, which is a negligible amount compared to this sector’s potential.
“We do not have any projects in Ukraine today which concern coal mine methane that can lead to accidents and tragic consequences. But why not set up a JV and create the conditions of transparency that exist on the Western market for more powerful companies that possess technologies?” Borovyk asks. In his opinion, Gazprom has neither the technologies nor, what is more, the desire to produce the “killer gas” in Ukraine. For this reason, if the Ukrainian government wishes so, it should seek Western partners who have technologies and expertise. But the expert adds that, to lure the Western investor into carrying out large-scale projects in Ukraine, we must make a Herculean effort to improve our investment climate.
And while Ukraine is losing time and miners, the world has been using the “killer gas” as an energy resource for almost half a century, says Bohdan LELYK, Candidate of Science (Geology and Mineralogy), general manager of NADRA Drilling Company Ltd. In his words, the Americans focused on this gas after the 1973 oil crisis.
“The methane potential of coal beds is huge and can be assessed as trillions of cubic meters, which exceeds three times Ukraine’s resources of natural gas,” Lelyk says, explaining the prospects of methane production in Ukraine. “First of all, coal mines should be degassed in good time – 5 to 8 years before the coal is extracted. The now operating mines should also carry out degassing concurrently.”
The expert warns that, to successfully carry out these projects, especially preliminary degassing, one must develop effective technologies, with due account taken of the specifics of our coal deposits, such as thin coal beds, a complicated structure, gas-bearing sandstones, etc. In other words, we must not blindly copy the American technologies suitable for their deposits.
“Developing a technology is a thing that involves financial risks and is experimental by nature – so it needs governmental investments,” Lelyk says convincingly. “The private investor (both national and foreign) will only contribute funds to realistic projects.” The academic also says that Ukraine has seen some new interesting research into preliminary degassing in the past few years. The only problem is, as usual, the lack of funds.
CHEAPER AND SAFER THAN SHALE GAS
Today, methane is a bird in the hand and shale gas is two birds in the bush, Lelyk says, comparing the prospects of the two non-traditional varieties of gas in Ukraine, “I do not reject the necessity of being abreast with the times and exploring other, alternative, sources of energy. Yet, taking into account that coal still remains the main long-term energy resource in Ukraine, we should take a serious approach to coal methane, for ignoring this can only result in major disasters. We must not boost the output of coal without removing the barrier of gas danger. It is an axiom. At the same time, as world experience shows, you can derive a benefit even from a danger – I mean industrial extraction of methane and safe work at coal mines. We must follow this way.”
Lelyk thinks that Ukraine should not keep on waiting for a potential investor while the government is not exactly bursting to invest, even though we have good research projects at hand. To begin active production of the “killer gas,” the government must contribute its own funds to developing methane extraction technologies and testing them on coal fields, support and carry out pilot and full-scale projects, which may also involve nongovernmental investments.
