Coal India (CIL) may be allowed to extract coal-bed methane (CBM) from its vast leasehold mining areas soon, opening new business avenues and boosting revenues for the state-owned coal monopoly. Current rules prohibit coal miners from extracting methane released during the mining process, wasting a valuable natural resource.

“We have given in-principle approval to a new policy on coal mine methane. We will soon move a Cabinet note to allow CBM extraction by CIL,” a petroleum ministry official said.