Wang Dongguang
Deputy Director, Basic Industry Department, SDPC

Remarks at the Opening session

Wang Dongguang
Deputy Director, Basic Industry Department, SDPC

Respected Guests, Ladies, and Gentlemen:

First, I want represent the State Development Planning Commission to give a warm welcome to all the Chinese and International guests attending the International Workshop on Investment Opportunities in Coal Mine Methane Projects in China, and to congratulate the workshop sponsors.

China is a country with rich coal resources, and relatively low oil and natural gas resources.  But China has abundant coal mine methane resources.  To develop coalbed methane industry is an important strategy to maintain a sustainable, growing, and healthy economy. 

The Chinese government has attached great importance to and encourages the development and

utilization of coalbed methane.  Coalbed methane development has been included in the energy conservation and construction investment plans since the beginning of the 1980s.  In the recent years, China has put forth a series of preferential investment policies, including tax reduction for coalbed methane development projects.  At the same time, China has included coalbed methane exploration development research into China’s 8^th five-year plan’s technology development project, the 1988 important and encouraged development industry, product, and technology list, and the encouraged foreign investment industry list.

Presently, coalbed methane exploration and development work has progressed steadily.  On the international cooperation front, the China United Coalbed Methane Co. Ltd. has signed seven coalbed methane development projects with several companies from the United States and Australia, and is currently negotiating on eight more coalbed methane blocks.  Domestically, the Chinese government and enterprises have invested heavily in Shanxi, Heilongjian, and Liaoning and achieved good results.  During the 10^th five-year plan, china will continue to expand the international cooperation of coalbed methane development, increase the coalbed methane exploration and development investment, make effective policies, and further speed-up the development and utilization of coalbed methane.

I hope through this workshop, the Chinese and international participants will reach more mutual understanding of the possible cooperation, and achieve some concrete results.  I hope while the cooperation brings good return on investment for all parties, it will also improve the development of China coalbed methane industry.

I wish great success to the workshop.

Thank you!