Biological Methane Generation in CBM wells

Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Recovery

Main objective(s): To revalidate the enhanced biological methane from coal seams

Key outcomes/outputs

India’s energy transition places strong emphasis on increasing the share of natural gas while reducing dependence on imported LNG. Coal Bed Methane (CBM) represents a significant domestic resource; however, recovery remains sub-optimal across major basins such as Jharia, Bokaro, and Raniganj due to inherent reservoir constraints and declining well performance.

To address this challenge, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in collaboration with ONGC Energy Centre, has developed a patented in-situ microbial technology (National Patent No. 489441, Dec 2023) for enhanced methane generation from coal seams.

The approach combines:

• Bio-stimulation to activate indigenous methanogenic microbes
• Bio-augmentation through deployment of enriched microbial consortia

This non-invasive, low-carbon solution utilizes existing CBM infrastructure and does not require additional drilling. Field deployments across multiple wells have demonstrated 2–4× enhancement in methane production, including revival of marginal and non-producing wells with sustained performance gains.

TERI’s indigenous innovation offers a cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally sustainable pathway to unlock stranded CBM resources, improve asset productivity, and strengthen India’s energy security. It aligns strongly with national priorities on energy self-reliance, decarbonization, and the transition to a cleaner energy mix.