“十四五”期间，国家能源局提出煤层气开发利用目标为100亿立方米，这一目标提前两年完成。统计数据显示，2023年仅山西煤层气产量就已突破110亿立方米，到2025年已增至147亿立方米。为整治“圈而不探”，山西率先以省政府规章形式出台煤层气勘查开采管理办法，大幅提高勘查投入门槛，严格落实退出机制，将煤层气最低勘查投入标准从每年每平方公里不低于1万元提升至10万元，倒逼企业加快勘查进度。

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the National Energy Administration set the development target for coalbed methane at 10 billion cubic meters. This target was achieved two years ahead of schedule. Statistical data shows that in 2023, the output of coalbed methane in Shanxi alone exceeded 11 billion cubic meters, and by 2025, it had increased to 14.7 billion cubic meters. To address the issue of "enclosing without exploration", Shanxi was the first to introduce regulations on coalbed methane exploration and exploitation by the provincial government, significantly raising the threshold for exploration investment and strictly implementing the exit mechanism. The minimum exploration investment standard for coalbed methane was raised from no less than 10,000 yuan per square kilometer per year to 100,000 yuan, compelling enterprises to accelerate the exploration process.

煤层气作为一种优质清洁低碳能源，与煤炭共伴生。我国煤层气资源丰富，储量位居世界第三，埋深2000米以浅煤层气地质资源量约30万亿立方米，2000米以深地质资源量约40万亿立方米，开发利用潜力巨大。

Coalbed methane, as a high-quality, clean and low-carbon energy source, is co-produced with coal. China has abundant coalbed methane resources, ranking third in the world in terms of reserves. The geological reserves of coalbed methane within a depth of 2000 meters or less are approximately 30 trillion cubic meters, while the geological reserves deeper than 2000 meters are approximately 40 trillion cubic meters. The development and utilization potential is enormous.

山西是我国煤层气资源最富集、开发条件最成熟的省份，勘探程度、探明储量和产能建设均居全国首位。近年来，山西以技术突破、体制改革、模式创新为抓手，持续推动煤层气增储上产与高效利用，“十四五”期间实现从天然气输入省到输出省的转变。

Shanxi is the province in China with the most abundant coalbed methane resources and the most mature development conditions. Its exploration level, proven reserves and capacity construction rank first in the country. In recent years, Shanxi has focused on technological breakthroughs, institutional reforms and model innovations to continuously promote the increase of reserves, production expansion and efficient utilization of coalbed methane. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it has achieved a transformation from a state importing natural gas to a state exporting it.

今年一季度，山西以煤层气为主的非常规天然气总产量达50.2亿立方米，同比增长15.3%，再创历史同期产量新高，为国家能源安全提供了重要气源保障。

In the first quarter of this year, the total output of unconventional natural gas in Shanxi Province, mainly coalbed methane, reached 5.02 billion cubic meters, an increase of 15.3% year-on-year. This set a new historical high for the same period and provided an important gas source guarantee for national energy security.

资源开发由“浅”入“深”

Resource development progresses from the "surface" to the "depth".

煤层气与煤伴生、共生，是储存在煤层中的烃类气体，以甲烷为主要成分，属于非常规天然气。我国煤层气产量占国内天然气总产量的比例约为5%，是天然气资源的重要补充。

Coalbed methane is associated and coexisting with coal. It is a type of hydrocarbon gas stored in coal seams, with methane being its main component. It belongs to unconventional natural gas. In China, the output of coalbed methane accounts for approximately 5% of the total domestic natural gas production, serving as an important supplement to natural gas resources.

早在20世纪80年代，我国就开始开展煤层气前期评价和勘探工作。受地质条件复杂、技术创新与集成不强等限制，产业发展较为缓慢。“十四五”期间，国家能源局提出煤层气开发利用目标为100亿立方米，这一目标提前两年完成。统计数据显示，2023年仅山西煤层气产量就已突破110亿立方米，到2025年已增至147亿立方米。

As early as the 1980s, China began to carry out preliminary eva luation and exploration work for coalbed methane. Due to limitations such as complex geological conditions and insufficient technological innovation and integration, the development of the industry was relatively slow. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the National Energy Administration set the development and utilization target of coalbed methane at 10 billion cubic meters. This target was achieved two years ahead of schedule. Statistical data shows that in 2023, the output of coalbed methane in Shanxi alone exceeded 11 billion cubic meters, and it had increased to 14.7 billion cubic meters by 2025.

变化背后，离不开近年来我国煤层气开发利用技术的不断完善，尤其是2000米以深煤层气成功实现商业开发。

Behind these changes, it is inseparable from the continuous improvement of China's coalbed methane exploitation and utilization technologies in recent years, especially the successful commercial development of coalbed methane at depths of 2000 meters.

中石油煤层气公司执行董事、煤层气开发利用国家工程研究中心董事长周立宏说，全球煤层气开发以浅层为主，深部煤层气渗透率低、开发成本高，长期被视为勘探“禁区”。2019年以来，公司采用“水平井+大型体积压裂”技术，率先在位于吕梁山区的大吉煤层气田取得突破，实现了对2000米以深煤层气的商业开发。

Zhou Lihong, the executive director of China National Petroleum Coalbed Methane Company and the chairman of the National Engineering Research Center for Coalbed Methane Development, said that global coalbed methane development is mainly focused on shallow layers. The permeability of deep coalbed methane is low and the development cost is high, and it has long been regarded as an "exclusion zone" for exploration. Since 2019, the company has adopted the "horizontal well + large-scale volume fracturing" technology and has made a breakthrough in the Dagui coalbed methane field located in the Luliang Mountainous Area, achieving commercial development of coalbed methane deeper than 2,000 meters.

地处吕梁山区的大吉煤层气田经历了“煤层气—致密气—深层煤层气”的开发探索过程。大吉3-7向2井区原本是一口致密气失利井，2019年8月，中石油煤层气公司对这口井进行常规压裂改造测试，日产气量达到浅层煤层气井的5倍，首次证实了2000米以深煤层具有良好的勘探开发潜力。到今年3月，大吉煤层气田的年产能已突破40亿立方米，可满足2000多万户家庭一年的日常用气需求。

The Dagui coalbed methane field located in the Luliang mountainous area has undergone a development exploration process of "coalbed methane - tight gas - deep coalbed methane". The 3-7 towards 2 well area was originally a failed tight gas well. In August 2019, the China National Petroleum Coalbed Methane Company conducted a conventional fracturing renovation test on this well, and the daily gas production reached five times that of a shallow coalbed methane well. This was the first time that it was confirmed that the coal layer 2,000 meters deep and below has good exploration and development potential. By March this year, the annual production capacity of the Dagui coalbed methane field has exceeded 4 billion cubic meters, which can meet the daily gas consumption needs of over 20 million households for a year.

深部煤层气游离气占比高，存在微距运移现象，储层类型和浅层煤层气类似，赋存特征又和页岩气相近，开发方式则与页岩气、致密气相似，被业界称为“煤岩气”。

The free gas content in deep coal seam gas is high, and there is a phenomenon of micro-scale migration. The reservoir type is similar to that of shallow coal seam gas, and the occurrence characteristics are similar to those of shale gas. The development method is similar to that of shale gas and tight gas. It is called "coal rock gas" by the industry.

“煤岩气是中国人在化石能源领域提出的新概念，成就巨大。”中澳煤层气能源有限公司首席专家李启国说，煤岩气开发在山西取得突破后，在多个盆地投入规模化开发，成为中国天然气增产最快领域。

"Coalbed methane is a new concept proposed by the Chinese in the field of fossil energy, and it has achieved remarkable results," said Li Qiguo, the chief expert of China-Australia Coalbed Methane Energy Co., Ltd. After a breakthrough in coalbed methane development in Shanxi Province, large-scale development has been carried out in multiple basins, making it the fastest-growing sector in China's natural gas production.

体制改革打出“组合拳”

Reform measures have been implemented in a "package" format.

过去，由于煤层气投资风险大、探矿权持有成本低、可供出让的新增矿权少，“圈而不探”“占而不采”现象突出。

In the past, due to the high investment risks of coalbed methane, the low cost of holding exploration rights, and the scarcity of new available mining rights for allocation, the phenomena of "circulating without conducting exploration" and "occupying but not extracting" were particularly prominent.

业内人士认为，有的企业长期勘探投入不足，是由于现行管理办法关于最低勘查投入的门槛较低。记者采访了解到，目前打一口煤层气井的费用为数百万元到数千万元。对于煤层气探矿权人来说，每年只要在上千平方公里的区块内打一两口井，就足以完成最低投入。投入强度不足、矿业权退出机制不健全，一度制约了行业发展。

Industry insiders believe that some enterprises have insufficient long-term exploration investment because the current management regulations set a relatively low threshold for the minimum exploration investment. Our interviews have revealed that the cost of drilling a coalbed methane well ranges from several million to several hundred million yuan. For coalbed methane exploration rights holders, as long as they drill one or two wells within an area of several hundred thousand square kilometers each year, they can meet the minimum investment requirement. Insufficient investment intensity and an imperfect mining rights exit mechanism have once restricted the development of the industry.

作为全国煤层气管理体制改革试点省份，山西直面产业发展痛点，以创新管理体制为抓手，打出政策“组合拳”，有效破解行业顽疾，为产业高质量发展扫清障碍。

As a pilot province for the national coalbed methane management system reform, Shanxi has directly confronted the pain points in industrial development. By taking the innovative management system as the starting point, it has launched a policy "package" to effectively solve the stubborn problems in the industry and remove obstacles for the high-quality development of the industry.

为整治“圈而不探”，山西率先以省政府规章形式出台煤层气勘查开采管理办法，大幅提高勘查投入门槛，严格落实退出机制，将煤层气最低勘查投入标准从每年每平方公里不低于1万元提升至10万元，倒逼企业加快勘查进度。山西省自然资源厅厅长姚青林说，“十四五”以来，全省近八成区块达到新的勘查投入标准，累计退出区块约7800平方公里，有效激发产业发展活力。

To address the issue of "exploration without exploitation", Shanxi Province was the first to introduce regulations on coal seam gas exploration and exploitation through provincial government rules. It significantly raised the threshold for exploration investment and strictly implemented the exit mechanism. The minimum exploration investment standard for coal seam gas was raised from no less than 10,000 yuan per square kilometer per year to 100,000 yuan. This forced enterprises to accelerate the exploration process. Yao Qinglin, the director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources, said, "Since the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, nearly 80% of the blocks in the province have met the new exploration investment standards. A total of about 7,800 square kilometers of blocks have been withdrawn, effectively stimulating the vitality of the industry development."

在资源配置环节，山西依托自然资源网上交易平台，采用招标、挂牌等市场化方式出让煤层气区块，不断完善市场体系，支持企业远程参与交易，实现资源出让全程公开、透明、规范。近年来全国累计出让煤层气区块近60宗，其中山西省40宗以上，形成“资源—技术—市场”的正向循环。

In the aspect of resource allocation, Shanxi Province relies on the online trading platform for natural resources and adopts market-oriented methods such as bidding and listing to transfer coalbed methane blocks. It continuously improves the market system and supports enterprises to participate in transactions remotely, ensuring that the entire process of resource transfer is open, transparent and standardized. In recent years, a total of nearly 60 coalbed methane blocks have been transferred nationwide, among which more than 40 were in Shanxi Province, forming a positive cycle of "resources - technology - market".

与此同时，山西优化审批服务，简化办理程序，实现煤层气矿业权登记全业务、全流程线上办理，鼓励煤炭企业开展矿区内煤共伴生资源综合评价与勘查，推动资源高效利用；创新土地供应方式，鼓励煤层气用地采取长期租赁、先租后让、租让结合、弹性年期等土地供应方式，减轻企业资金压力，缩短投产达效时间。

Meanwhile, Shanxi has optimized the approval process and simplified the procedures, enabling the full-process and all-round online processing of coal seam gas mining rights registration. It encourages coal enterprises to conduct comprehensive eva luations and explorations of coal co-occurring resources within the mining area, promoting efficient utilization of resources. It also innovates land supply methods, encouraging coal seam gas land use to adopt long-term leasing, pre-lease followed by concession, combination of lease and concession, and flexible term periods for land supply, thereby reducing the financial pressure on enterprises and shortening the time for production and efficiency attainment.

体制创新激发企业活力。通过一系列改革举措，煤层气产业发展环境持续优化，中石油沁水气田成为全国最大中浅层煤层气田，中石油大吉气田成为全国最大深部煤层气田，中联临兴气田建成山西首个大型整装致密气田，沁水盆地、鄂尔多斯(15.210, -0.46, -2.94%)盆地东缘两大煤层气产业化基地初步建成，产业规模与能级实现跨越式提升。

Innovative system reforms have invigorated the enterprises. Through a series of reform measures, the development environment for the coalbed methane industry has been continuously improved. The Qinsi Gas Field of China National Petroleum Corporation has become the largest shallow and medium-depth coalbed methane field in the country, the Da Ji Gas Field has become the largest deep coalbed methane field in the country, the Linxing Gas Field of China United has established the first large-scale integrated tight gas field in Shanxi Province, and the two coalbed methane industrialization bases in the Qinshi Basin and the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin have been initially established. The industrial scale and level have achieved a leapfrog improvement.

模式创新突破气煤重叠痛点

Mode innovation breaks through the overlapping pain points of bituminous coal

当前浅层煤层气仍占据产量大部分。面对浅层煤层气与煤炭资源开采上的重合，山西探索出“先采气后采煤，采气采煤一体化”模式，打破资源开采壁垒，既实现清洁能源高效开发，又筑牢煤矿安全生产防线，探索一条安全生产与产业转型协同共进的特色之路。

At present, shallow coalbed methane still accounts for the majority of the production. Facing the overlap between the exploitation of shallow coalbed methane and coal resources, Shanxi has explored the "first extract gas then extract coal, integrated gas extraction and coal extraction" model, breaking through the barriers of resource exploitation. This not only realizes the efficient development of clean energy but also strengthens the safety production line of coal mines, and has explored a distinctive path of coordinated advancement of safety production and industrial transformation.

煤层气也是赋存在煤层里的瓦斯。长期以来，煤炭与煤层气开发存在诸多矛盾。对煤矿来讲，不进行有效抽采就进行采煤作业，很容易引起瓦斯爆炸等安全事故。对于煤层气田来说，如果煤矿在重叠区先行采煤，又会破坏煤层结构，导致抽采系统紊乱、气源倒吸，造成资源浪费。二者开采时缺乏协同，成为制约山西能源产业高效发展的堵点。

Coalbed methane is also the gas contained within coal seams. For a long time, there have been many conflicts between coal mining and the development of coalbed methane. For coal mines, if coal mining operations are carried out without effective gas extraction, it is very likely to cause safety accidents such as gas explosions. For coalbed methane fields, if coal mines conduct mining operations in overlapping areas first, it will damage the coal seam structure, leading to disorder in the extraction system, reverse suction of the gas source, and waste of resources. The lack of coordination in the extraction of the two has become a bottleneck restricting the efficient development of the energy industry in Shanxi.

针对这一行业痛点，山西探索出煤炭与煤层气协同开发的新模式，其核心逻辑是统筹煤炭与煤层气勘探开发，打破两种矿业权分置形成的开采壁垒，在煤炭远景区实施“先采气、后采煤”，优先通过地面钻井预抽煤层气，减少后续煤矿开采中的瓦斯突出风险；在煤炭规划生产区或近期将开采的区域推广“采煤采气一体化”，通过地面、井下联合抽采，确保安全生产与资源高效利用。

In response to this industry challenge, Shanxi has explored a new model for the coordinated development of coal and coalbed methane. The core logic of this model is to integrate the exploration and development of coal and coalbed methane, break through the barriers to mining caused by the separate ownership of the two mining rights, and implement the strategy of "extracting gas first, then coal" in the far areas of coal production. By conducting pre-extraction of coalbed methane through surface drilling, the risk of gas outbursts during subsequent coal mining can be reduced. In the planned production areas of coal or the regions that will be mined in the near future, the "coal-mining and gas-extraction integration" model is promoted. Through joint extraction on the surface and underground, safety production and efficient resource utilization can be ensured.

“采气采煤一体化技术体系运行以来，公司在晋城矿区累计抽采煤层气约150亿立方米，并在山西阳泉、河南平顶山等矿区推广。”山西蓝焰煤层气集团公司执行董事王宇红说，这种开采模式不仅将煤矿高危气体变成高效清洁能源，还为矿区瓦斯综合治理、保障高瓦斯矿井安全生产提供了一条新途径。

Since the implementation of the integrated gas and coal extraction technology system, the company has extracted approximately 15 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane in the Jincheng mining area. It has also promoted this technology in other mining areas such as Yangquan in Shanxi Province and Pingdingshan in Henan Province. "Wang Yuhong, the executive director of Shanxi Lianyan Coalbed Methane Group Company, said, "This extraction model not only converts high-risk gases from coal mines into efficient clean energy, but also provides a new approach for comprehensive gas control in mining areas and ensuring safe production in high-gas mines."

今年4月，山西省政府办公厅印发的《山西省加快能源绿色低碳转型发展实施方案》进一步明确，对五年内煤矿规划采掘的区域，具备煤层气开发条件的，煤矿企业可负责浅层煤层气开发。

In April this year, the Office of the Government of Shanxi Province issued the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Green and Low-Carbon Transformation of Energy in Shanxi Province", further clarifying that for the areas planned for coal mining within the next five years, if there are conditions for coalbed methane development, coal mining enterprises can be responsible for the development of shallow coalbed methane.

大力增储上产的同时，山西加快煤层气产业集群建设，大力发展煤层气装备制造业，建立以省内储气设施为主，省外储气库、沿海LNG储罐代储为辅的多层储备体系，加快城乡居民燃气推广、工业燃料替代、交通燃料升级，大幅提高燃气消费比重，消纳利用水平显著提升。

While vigorously increasing reserves and production, Shanxi Province is accelerating the construction of a coalbed methane industrial cluster, vigorously developing the coalbed methane equipment manufacturing industry, establishing a multi-level reserve system mainly consisting of domestic storage facilities, supplemented by off-province storage facilities and coastal LNG storage tanks for temporary storage, accelerating the promotion of gas for urban and rural residents, the substitution of industrial fuels, and the upgrading of transportation fuels, significantly increasing the proportion of gas consumption and markedly improving the level of gas utilization.

今年2月，晋能控股集团、太原理工大学、华新燃气集团与煤层气开发利用国家工程研究中心等单位签署煤层气领域战略合作框架协议，携手聚焦低渗煤层改造、高值化利用等关键技术攻关，推动煤层气产业从规模增长向质量效益提升转变。

In February this year, the Jinneng Holding Group, Taiyuan University of Technology, Huaxin Gas Group, and the National Engineering Research Center for Coalbed Methane Development, among others, signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in the field of coalbed methane. They jointly focused on key technological research such as low-permeability coal layer transformation and high-value utilization, and aimed to promote the transformation of the coalbed methane industry from scale expansion to quality and efficiency improvement.

当前非常规天然气已成为山西主要气源，在保障省内消费后，还能外输京津冀和河南等地，为能源安全保障提供有力支撑。

At present, unconventional natural gas has become the main gas source in Shanxi Province. After meeting the local consumption needs, it can also be exported to regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Henan, providing strong support for energy security.

合力推动产业爬坡

Jointly drive the industry to climb up the slope

受访人士表示，当前煤层气产业正处于关键“爬坡期”，需要进一步在体制机制上大胆突破，深化在科技创新、矿权管理、模式创新等领域的实践探索，破除制约产业发展的壁垒。

The respondents stated that the current coalbed methane industry is currently in a crucial "steepening period", and it needs to make bold breakthroughs in the institutional mechanisms, deepen practical explorations in areas such as technological innovation, mineral rights management, and model innovation, and remove barriers that hinder the development of the industry.

一是大力支持科技创新，加快破解关键共性技术难题。多家煤层气企业负责人和行业专家表示，深部煤层气是保障能源供应的重要接替资源，但当前深部煤层气开发仍处于起步阶段，业界对其赋存特点和增产机理认识还不够充分，尚未形成针对不同地区深部煤层地质条件的适用性技术体系，实践中遇到的理论技术难题增多，需要进一步加大科研投入、完善基础设施建设、加强人才培养与引进，推动煤层气关键技术实现更多突破。

Firstly, we should vigorously support scientific and technological innovation and accelerate the resolution of key common technical problems. The heads of several coalbed methane enterprises and industry experts stated that deep coalbed methane is an important alternative resource for ensuring energy supply. However, the current development of deep coalbed methane is still in its infancy. The industry lacks sufficient understanding of its occurrence characteristics and production mechanisms, and has not yet formed an applicable technical system for different regional deep coalbed geological conditions. Practical problems involving theoretical and technical difficulties have increased, and we need to further increase research investment, improve infrastructure construction, strengthen talent cultivation and recruitment, and promote more breakthroughs in coalbed methane key technologies.

二是鼓励商业模式创新，充分释放行业发展活力。多位业内人士表示，煤层气开发是典型的资金密集型、技术密集型、人才密集型产业。打一口煤层气井动辄要花费数百万元，技术先进的要投资一两千万元，但抽采几年就可能快速衰减，投资风险较大。

Second, encourage innovation in business models to fully unleash the vitality of the industry's development. Many industry insiders have stated that coal seam gas development is a typical industry characterized by high capital requirements, high technological demands, and high human resource demands. Drilling a single coal seam gas well often costs several million yuan, and for advanced technologies, it requires an investment of tens of millions of yuan. However, the production capacity of the gas can rapidly decline after a few years, and the investment risk is relatively high.

业内人士建议，鼓励矿业权人按照产品分成合同模式，联合更多投资人联合投资，降低投资风险，加快勘探开发；鼓励矿业权人委托有能力的机构实施技术托管，减少工程失误；鼓励支持央地国有企业按照自主自愿、合作共赢的原则，根据不同区块的资源禀赋和开发条件，通过技术服务、风险服务、提高采收率等开展煤层气开发合作，加快增储上产进度。

Industry insiders suggest that mining rights holders should be encouraged to adopt the product-sharing contract model and jointly invest with more investors to reduce investment risks and accelerate exploration and development; mining rights holders should be encouraged to entrust capable institutions to implement technical custody, reducing engineering errors; and support should be given to central and local state-owned enterprises to carry out coalbed methane development cooperation based on the principles of autonomy, voluntariness and mutual benefit. Different from blocks with different resource endowments and development conditions, they should conduct cooperation through technical services, risk services, and improvement of recovery rates, etc., to accelerate the progress of reserve increase and production expansion.

三是加强要素保障，优化煤炭与煤层气共采机制。多位受访专家建议，针对煤炭与煤层气矿业权重叠，进一步完善“采气采煤一体化”制度体系，在引导煤炭与煤层气企业自主协商的同时，能源管理部门应加强指导，明确各方权利义务和抽采补偿标准。

Thirdly, efforts should be made to enhance resource support and optimize the joint extraction mechanism for coal and coalbed methane. Several experts interviewed suggested that, given the overlapping nature of the coal and coalbed methane industries, a more comprehensive "gas extraction and coal extraction integrated" system should be further developed. While guiding the coal and coalbed methane enterprises to negotiate independently, the energy management department should also provide stronger guidance, clearly defining the rights and obligations of all parties and the compensation standards for extraction.