Summary Data and Statistics

Overview of Data, Recent Activity, and Selected Resources Coal-Bed Methane Wells Reported to WVGES

The table below summarizes data reported for coal-bed methane wells drilled in West Virginia during the past decade. In addition to the county and permit number, operator, and completion date, the productive history of these wells is shown with annual reported gas production volumes, total reported gas production, the field name, and the pay zone(s). This table will be updated periodically, as warranted by additional development and the availability of additional years of reported production.

Commercial development of coal-bed methane resources has been occurring since 1990 in the Pittsburgh coal in the Blacksville CBM (i.e., coal-bed methane) field in Monongalia County, in the form of gob wells drilled after mining in the Federal #2 mine, and since 1989 in the Pocahontas Formation coals in the Welch field in Wyoming and McDowell counties. The wells in the Welch field are being drilled to drain the methane from the Pocahontas #3 coal prior to mining. As such, both of these fields are being produced in an effort related to underground coal mining.

More recently, development has occurred since 1996 in the New River and Pocahontas Formation coals in the Bradshaw CBM field in McDowell County and since 1998 in the McGraw field in the New River and Pocahontas Formations in Wyoming County. There is other scattered CBM activity in the Pocahontas Formation coals in the Slab Fork field in Raleigh County and in a New River coal in an unnamed field in Raleigh County. The Raleigh County well drilled in the Slab Fork field by the College of West Virginia (now known as Mountain State University) was part of a U.S. Department of Energy multistrata research project to evaluate the potential to produce gas from coal beds and conventional gas reservoirs simultaneously. Details about this project can be viewed at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/97/97ng/ng97_pdf/NGP2.PDF

Other references of interest can be found at the following Web sites:

1. Regulations related to drilling coal-bed methane wells in West Virginia can be found at http://www.dep.state.wv.us/og/ted/regs.htm#3

2. Assessment of Undiscovered Carboniferous Coal-Bed Gas Resources of the Appalachian Basin and Black Warrior Basin Provinces, 2002: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3092/

3. Assessment of Appalachian Basin Oil and Gas Resources: Carboniferous Coal-bed Gas Total Petroleum System: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1272/

4. An overview of coal-bed methane potential in the Appalachian Basin can be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-105/

5. Results of Coal Bed Methane Drilling, Mylan Park, Monongalia County, West Virginia http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1402/ NEW!

6. National Energy Technology Laboratory
   U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy web site: http://www.netl.doe.gov/

7. The Gas Technology Institute web site: http://www.gri.org/

8. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Coalbed Methane Outreach Program: http://www.epa.gov/coalbed/index.htm

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