Shanxi province aims to lift unconventional natural gas output to 30 billion cubic meters (Bcm) by the end of the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period, with coalbed methane (CBM) at the center of the plan.

The province will focus on "solidifying the foundation and extending and supplementing the industrial chain" to turn resource advantages into industrial strength, Mao Xiaowen, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Energy Administration, said at a press conference on September 10.

During the 14th "Five-Year Plan" period, Shanxi's unconventional gas output totaled 75.1 Bcm, up 155% from the 13th "Five-Year Plan" period, Mao said.

Under the plan, Shanxi will accelerate output growth by keeping shallow CBM production stable, raising deep CBM output and curbing declines in tight gas, with tailored measures for each area. By the end of the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period, the Qinshui Basin will focus on maintaining output with shallow-to-medium CBM steady at 10 Bcm, while the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin will target incremental growth, lifting CBM output in the Linfen and Luliang areas to 9.5 Bcm.

The province will also speed up methane utilization by upgrading existing projects, building facilities for low-concentration methane of 8%-30% and deploying projects for ultra-low-concentration methane below 8%, aiming to raise the methane utilization rate to 60% by the end of the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period.

Shanxi will accelerate interconnection by building links between major gas sources such as Daji and Linxing and the provincial network, and by promoting effective connections between the provincial and national grids. By 2030, the province aims to have more than 10,000 km of long-distance oil and gas pipelines.

In terms of extending the industrial chain, Shanxi will tackle core technologies, focusing on bottlenecks in shallow-to-medium CBM stable production and strengthening research on deep CBM accumulation theory and development mechanisms.

The province will also develop equipment manufacturing by attracting outside investment and supporting local companies in research and development to expand the sector.

Mao said Shanxi will use these measures to build a 100-billion-yuan industrial cluster and support national energy security.

Unconventional natural gas refers to gas that cannot be extracted with conventional technology or profitably at a given stage, and can become conventional gas under certain conditions. It mainly includes CBM, shale gas, water-soluble gas, natural gas hydrate, inorganic gas, shallow biogenic gas and tight sandstone gas.

Shanxi has an estimated 20 trillion cubic meters of unconventional gas resources, about 8% of China's total predicted gas resources. The province produced 18.23 Bcm of unconventional gas in 2025, up 8.9% year on year.

In recent years, the application of key technologies has transformed Shanxi's unconventional gas industry. The province has built national, provincial and enterprise-level technology innovation platforms, achieved breakthroughs in drilling, fracturing and drainage, and demonstrated commercial deep CBM development and integrated coal and gas extraction.

Shanxi has also promoted efficient development of unconventional gas resources at different layers and depths, and accelerated pipeline interconnection. It has built six major gas fields with annual output of 1 Bcm each, and long-distance gas pipelines now total 9,477 km, covering nearly all counties in the province.