Low-carbon methane
Deep underground in the Lorraine coalfields, untapped coal seams hold a valuable energy resource: almost pure methane, known as coal gas. It is estimated that less than 20% of French coal has been extracted in three centuries of mining, which means that significant reserves remain, particularly in Lorraine. But coal also means gas: each ton of coal can contain between 10 and 15 m³ of methane. This gas, trapped in the intact seams, thus represents considerable energy potential for the future.
A stock of around 272 billion m³ of gas in Lorraine underground!
A carbon footprint 10 times lower than imported gas
Its carbon footprint is ten times lower than imported gas, for example from the United States, which is nothing but shale gas. This local gas, available directly on site, does not require long-distance transport. Independent experts (BEICIP – IFP Energies Nouvelles group & MHA – Sproule group) estimated that the Bleue Lorraine concession area (191 km²) contains around 272 billion m³ of gas.
A simple and perfectly controlled process
This methane is captured using a simple and perfectly controlled process. It involves drilling down to the thick layers, dewatering the coil matrix and naturally recovering the gas (desorbtion). When the pressure in the veins drops sufficiently, only the gas rises naturally to the surface through the tubing installed after drilling.
Small-diameter (15 cm) horizontal drains collect the gas present in the coal over several hundred meters. At the surface, exploitation of the resource requires only about 1,000 m² per well, or barely 1/7th of the surface area of a soccer field.
A process that respects the subsoil
This production method, which respects the subsoil and water aquifers, is approved and monitored by European and French authorities, unlike fracking techniques, which are banned in France but widely used across the Atlantic.
Our activities aim to produce 100% carbon-free energy.
"The idea is either to utilize low-carbon methane as is, by injecting it into networks to directly supply local industries and consumers, or to decarbonize it as soon as it reaches the surface by converting it into hydrogen.
In this case, there are two possible routes: producing purple hydrogen through pyrolysis, which yields carbon-free hydrogen combined with solid carbon in the form of black powder that is non-polluting and reusable in industrial applications; or produce blue hydrogen through steam reforming, capturing CO₂ in liquid or gaseous form and then storing it in a carbon well using the CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) process."
