Abstract

Alberta is underlain by enormous quantities of coal, but data are still lacking to define the coalbed methane resources accurately. The thick and widespread Upper Mannville coals are prime coalbed methane exploration targets. The area with the greatest total cumulative coal, between 6 and 12 metres thick, is located in the Red Deer area. Other areas with thick cumulative coal are found in the northwest, near the edge and extending into the deformed belt, where medium-volatile to low-volatile bituminous coals are found. These ranks are favorable for generation of coalbed methane and total resources in the Upper Mannville can be estimated to be more than 4.5 × 10¹² m³ (more than 160 TCF) of gas.

The Gething coal zone attains reasonable thickness only near the Alberta-B.C. border. In this area, the rank of the coal zone (low-volatile bituminous to semi-anthracite) indicates that the coalbed methane potential is very good. In the area northwest of Grande Cache, wells could be completed in both the Gates and Gething coal zones. The total methane resources for the Gething coal zone can be estimated to be more than 1.2 × 10¹¹ m³ (about 4 TCF). However, their great depth in those parts of the basin lowers their commercial potential.