Coalbed methane in the United States

Coalbed methane areas in the US lower 48 states
US coalbed methane production
Coalbed methane production trends in the top five US producing states, 1989-2011.
US proved reserves of coalbed methane, 1989-2007.

The 2017 production of coalbed methane in the United States was 0.98 trillion cubic feet (TCF), 3.6 percent of all US dry gas production that year. The 2017 production was down from the peak of 1.97 TCF in 2008.[1] Most coalbed methane production came from the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

Coalbed methane reserve estimates vary; however a 1997 estimate from the U.S. Geological Survey predicts more than 700 trillion cubic feet (20 trillion cubic metres) of methane within the US. At a natural gas price of US$6.05 per million Btu (US$5.73/GJ), that volume is worth US$4.37 trillion. At least 100 trillion cubic feet (2.8 trillion cubic metres) of it is economically viable to produce.[2]

The EIA reports 2017 reserves at 11,878 billion cubic feet (BCF) or 11.878 trillion cubic feet,[3] which at a current market price of US $2.97 as of May 14, 2021, are worth approximately $36.2 Billion USD.[4]

  1. ^ US Energy Information Administration, Coalbed methane production, accessed 9 Oct. 2013.
  2. ^ "Coal-Bed Methane: Potential and Concerns" (PDF). US Geological Surveys. usgs.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2003-07-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  3. ^ "Coalbed Methane Proven Reserves as of 31 December 2017". Energy Information Agency (EIA). 2019-07-31.
  4. ^ "NGH20 Quote Overview for Fri, Jan 31st, 2020". Barchart. January 31, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-31.