State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) has forayed into extraction of coal bed methane (CBM).
On Thursday, the coal behemoth said it has issued a letter of acceptance to a domestic company for methane extraction from coal seams in its coalfields in Jharia, Jharkhand. CIL had floated a global tender for the project. The move is seen promoting the discovery of alternative sources of energy.
Methane is the chief byproduct of coal mining and it often goes untapped. It also poses a risk to workers in coal mines.
