The rapid growth of coalbed gas mining was a highlight of the Shanxi economy in this year’s first half, with a growth rate over 15 percent.

Three of Shanxi’s 11 major industries increased from January to June on a year-on-year basis, according to data from the province’s statistics bureau, while the coalbed gas mining increased 15.6 percent over the same last period. The yield of coalbed gas grew 8.8 percent to 1.6 billion cubic meters, for enterprises above designated size.

The province’s reserve of coalbed gas is 10.4 trillion cubic meters, about one third of the country’s total.

In the past February, six large coal enterprises in Shanxi reached a framework agreement on coalbed gas, agreeing to exploit coalbed gas en bloc.

Early in 2014, the provincial authorities have put forward an implementation plan to develop the manufacturing industry of coalbed gas equipment. The plan was recognized a driving force for this sector’s development. According to the plan, the sales income of coalbed gas equipment will be 30 billion yuan ($4.83 billion) by 2020, and optimize the coalbed gas industry as a whole.