On 30 November 2010, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Land and Resources and the National Energy Administration jointly approved the pilot projects exploiting coalbed methane jointly by Chinese and foreign firms.

According to the approval, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Sinopec Ltd. and Henan Provincial Coal Seam Gas Development and Utilization Co., Ltd. are allowed to cooperate with foreign firms in exploiting coalbed methane within the area approved by the State Council.