ARLINGTON, Virginia – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Prabha Energy Private Limited (PEPL), a private company in India specializing in the exploration and production of coalbed methane (CBM). The grant supports a feasibility study assisting PEPL in developing CBM resources in India’s largest coalfield. CBM may represent a new source of clean-burning natural gas to be used as fuel by the local industrial, transportation and power sectors.

PEPL has selected the U.S. firm, Advanced Resources International, Inc., (Arlington, VA) to carry out the feasibility study.

“USTDA is excited to support Prabha Energy as it looks to develop an untapped energy resource,” said Henry Steingass, Regional Director for South and Southeast Asia at USTDA. “As India develops its CBM resources, U.S. companies can provide the equipment and expertise to help India unlock CBM’s potential.”

Work on the feasibility study is expected to begin in 2017. Drilling and services related to CBM exploration and development represent a significant opportunity for U.S. firms that provide drilling rigs, gas compression and processing equipment, and geophysical logging and perforation.