Negros island is among the 19 coal districts identified by the Department of Energy with significant coal deposits where an assessment of potential coalbed methane and related coal resources will be conducted.

The assessment, a joint project of the DOE and the U.S. Geological Survey of the Department of Interior, will run from years 2007 to 2009, and will be implemented under the Memorandum of Understanding signed recently by both parties to conduct scientific and technical cooperation in the field of earth sciences.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a statement he issued that the MOU will help the government attract investors to increase the amount of exploration activities in the country in coal, geothermal, oil and gas. Aside from Negros, other coal districts with significant coal deposits are Catanduanes, Danao, Cebu; Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Maguindanao, Sarangani, Surigao del Sur, Batan Island, Masbate, Semirara, Mindoro, Quezon-Polilio, Davao, Sorsogon, Cagayan-Isabela, Quirino, Sultan Kudarat and Samar-Leyte.

DOE said that total coal resources in these areas are estimated at about 2.3 billion metric tons while total coalbed methane potential is estimated at about 16.4 billion cubic meters.

Under the joint assessment project, experts will collect, analyze, compile, synthesize, interpret, and publish critical new data on coalbed methane and coal resources in the coalfields and recoverable coal mine methane and abandoned mine methane reserves in the coal mine areas of the Philippines.

Coalbed methane is natural gas found in coal beds and used for a variety of purposes ranging from domestic, commercial and industrial to electric power generation. Methane is generally considered a cleaner form of energy; exploration costs are low and wells used to extract coalbed methane are cost effective to drill.*NLG

back to top