The Bharat Coking Coal Limited, a Coal India Limited subsidiary, signed a memorandum of understanding with Prabha Energy Private Ltd at its Dhanbad headquarters on Monday for exploration of coal bed methane from its underground mines.

This is the maiden project of Coal India for exploration of coal bed methane for which the Ranchi-headquartered Coal Mines Planning and Design Institute will be the project implementing agency.

The Jharia CBM (coal bed methane)/CMM (coal mine methane) block under the BCCL “has been delineated with an objective of exploring CBM in a total area of 26.5sqkm,” said a BCCL release, adding that the blocks are located in Kapuria, Moonidih and Sigma collieries that have a net coal reserve of 1,961.85MMT (million metric tonnes) and an estimated gas deposit of 25.22BCM (billion cubic metres).

The project, aimed at reducing methane emission in coal mines for ensuring safety of the miners, will be implemented in three phases.

While exploration work will be done in the first phase, pilot assessment and market survey for the production stage will be taken up in the second phase, BCCL sources said, adding that the third phase comprises development and production work lasting for a maximum duration of 30 years.