CBM Asia Development Corp. reported that excellent gas quality has been measured at the Kutai West coalbed methane (CBM) production-sharing contract (PSC) in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Newton Energy Capital Ltd. operates the Kutai West CBM PSC, in which CBM Asia holds an 18% working interest.

Contractor PT GeoServices measured the composition of CBM gas desorbed from eleven coal samples cored from a depth of 317 m (1,040 ft) to 842 m (2,762 ft) in the CBM-KW-01 exploration well. All gas samples tested high in methane and very low in carbon dioxide. The methane content averaged 91.1%, while the carbon dioxide content averaged .14%. Combustible ethane and propane also were present (average 0.5% each), while inert gas such as nitrogen accounted for the balance.

The gas compositional testing indicates that the CBM gas in the CBM-KW-01 well is of high quality, suitable for transport via pipeline or conversion to LNG.

CBM Asia also reports that the fourth and final well, CBM-KW-03, reached a target depth at 1,000 m (3,280 ft). The exploration well, designed to delineate the coal extent at the southeastern edge of the syncline in the C 'sweet spot' encountered 11.5 m (37.7 ft) of net coal as expected.