Russia's first CBM to energy project goes on stream

The first coal-bed-methane (CBM) to energy project in Russia was inaugurated at Kuzbasskaya Energosetevaya Compania's site, located near Kemerovo. The gas comes from Gazprom's test drills to capture the huge reserves of CBM in this traditional coal mining region.

This project is part of a broader GE strategy to invest in resource rich regions like Russia to respond quicker to customer needs, and it also helps support Russia's environmental and energy efficiency goals.

In addition, the aim of the Kemerovo administration is to encourage active coal mines in the region to collect the gas prior, during and after coaling operations to a larger extent. This not only will help to increase mine safety, but also will provide additional revenues to the coal mining companies. The project is expected to contribute to improving the environmental safety and energy efficiency in Russia.

A 1-MW, J320 Jenbacher gas engine from GE uses the gas to provide electricity, which is ultimately sold to the grid.

''GE's innovative technology allows us to turn a previously environmentally harmful gas into a safer, useful fuel to produce energy for our customers in a more cost-effective manner,'' said Peter Kuruch, CEO of Kuzbasskaya Energosetevaya Compania. ''GE's ability to install and start-up the engine in a short timeframe - 2.5 months - along with the company's vast expertise in this industry were main reasons we chose them for this important project.''

GE's J320 gas engine technology has been successfully used in power projects from various types of coal seam gases (coal-mine-methane, abandoned-mine-methane and CBM) around the world. Currently GE has Jenbacher units with a total capacity of more than 400 MW running on this type of gas. The engines have the potential to generate more than 3 million MWh of electricity per year - saving the equivalent of 830 million cubic meters of natural gas a year.