Infrastructure
Coal bed methane requires a lot of infrastucre to extract the resource. Roads to access well locations, the wells themselves and electricity to power the pumps are the main structures needed to get resources out of the ground. Once things reach the surface, pipelines and compressor stations are needed to transport the resouces (gas & water) off site. In some situations reservoirs were added to the landscape to hold the water to allow it to be evaporated off. Below is an example of how a landscape changes with CBM development.
This is one example of a piece of land with prior to being developed for coal bed methane. The example area covers four different sections which contains roads, powerlines and established stock wells and tanks.
10.27 miles of roads
5.27 miles of powerlines
5 reservoirs
4 stock wells & tanks
10.27 miles of roads
5.27 miles of powerlines
5 reservoirs
4 stock wells & tanks
Here we see the same piece of land at the peak of CBM development. There are many ways this may be laid out, but likely there are many wells, overhead power lines, buried pipelines, and reservoirs throughout the field. Not all of these are going to be beneficial or cost effective for a landowner to maintain.
22.5 miles of roads
11.32 miles of powerlines
7 reservoirs
4 stock wells & tanks
27 CBM wells
22.5 miles of roads
11.32 miles of powerlines
7 reservoirs
4 stock wells & tanks
27 CBM wells
Here is one way that the active field shown above could be turned into a very usable set of infrastructure. This would be beneficial for both the agricultural operation and the wildlife on the property that will exist long after the CBM production is gone.
12.53 miles of roads
5.77 miles of powerlines
5 reservoirs
6 stock water wells
9 stock tanks
2 water storage tanks
1.85 miles of pipeline
12.53 miles of roads
5.77 miles of powerlines
5 reservoirs
6 stock water wells
9 stock tanks
2 water storage tanks
1.85 miles of pipeline