North China's coal-rich province of Shanxi achieved a record coal-bed methane output of 9.1 billion cubic meters in the first eight months of this year, up 23.1 percent year on year, said the provincial statistics bureau on Saturday.

In recent years, Shanxi has established two major coal-bed methane production bases in the Qinshui Basin and the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin, taking the lead nationwide in coal-bed methane development, according to the provincial energy bureau.

Coal-bed methane is an unconventional natural gas primarily composed of methane and produced from coal seams. Its extraction is key to reducing coal mine gas explosion accidents, expanding the supply of natural gas and mitigating environmental pollution.

As a major coal producer and home to abundant coal-bed methane resources, Shanxi has geological reserves of coal-bed methane amounting to more than 924 billion cubic meters as of the end of 2023.

Shanxi's output of coal-bed methane is estimated to reach 15 billion cubic meters this year, compared with 11.27 billion cubic meters in 2023.