Coal Mine Methane
Insight into methane emissions associated with coal mining
The extraction and the use of fossil fuels plays a significant role in climate change. Open pit and underground coal mine operators are looking to understand the emissions profile from their sites and the impact of operations on methane intensity.
According to the US Environment Protection Agency, coal mines contributed 11% of all US methane emissions in 2020 and 9% globally. The IEA estimated that coal mine methane emissions were roughly equivalent to the international aviation and shipping industries’ emissions combined [ref]. Even after mines close, they continue to leak methane gas.
There is little data on coal mine methane emissions from direct measurements, with mine operators solely focused on detection for safety reasons rather than environmental reporting or mitigation. With new remote-sensing technologies available, such as high-resolution satellites, independent monitoring of coal mining emissions can support benchmarking and a better understanding of emission mitigation opportunities.
GHGSat started monitoring methane emissions from coal mines since the launch of its first high-resolution satellite in 2016. With a constellation of satellites in orbit measuring and detecting methane daily and worldwide, our measurements of methane emissions from coal mines are [ref] assisting many clients detect, quantify, understand and work to mitigate their emissions.
Coal Mine Methane
Measuring Emissions from Open Pit Coal Mines from Space
40% of all coal mines are open pit or surface types, and they release methane over wide areas. For this reason, it was thought unlikely that satellites could see sufficient quantities of coal mine methane to make accurate measurements. In October of 2021, GHGSat detected the first methane emissions from an opencast coal mine from space in high-resolution.
Growing Rapidly in 2021
Coal Mine Emissions
The number of emission detections of coal mines by GHGSat high-resolution satellites in 2022.
16% of methane emissions detected by GHGSat satellites in 2022 are from coal mines.
In 2022, our constellation measured 2.1 MT/yr CH4 from coal mines.
The need for accurate methane emissions data
Reducing Global Coal Mine Methane
The largest coal-producing regions are China, India, the USA, Indonesia, Australia and Russia. According to the IEA, on their pathway to achieving global net-zero emissions, there needs to be a 75% cut in methane emissions from fossil fuel operations, which means that coal mine methane emissions need to fall by 31Mt. According to analysis from the Global Energy Monitor “Deep Trouble 2021: Tracking Global Coal Mines Proposals” report, there are 432 new coal mine developments planned globally which would add 2,277 mtpa of new capacity with 614 mtpa underway and 1,663 mtpa in planning. New capacity development is strongest in China, Australia, India and Russia.
Methane Recovery Operations
Coal Mine Methane to Energy
Technology is available to recover coal mine methane which can be sold and piped into natural gas systems for domestic use, but there are challenges. Methane concentrations are low and inconsistent, for instance. Ventilated Air Methane (VAM) from underground mines contains less than 1% methane making it difficult to extract and mines may not have the gas infrastructure or nearby domestic market to make it commercially viable to recover methane. But methane recovery projects are in operation, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2019, coal mines in the US recovered and destroyed or used more than 37 billion cubic feet of coal mine methane.
Coal Mine – New Mexico, USA
Methane Emission from Coal Mining
The USA is the world’s third-largest coal-producing nation extracting 641mtpa. Between 2015 and 2019, production dropped by 21.2%, and the number of mines has reduced by half between 2008 to 2019, reflecting the broader shift away from thermal coal extraction for power plants [ref]. According to Global Coal Mine Tracker, around 50mtpa of new capacity for mining metallurgical coal (used for steel-making) is proposed in North America. Emissions monitoring remains critical for active and abandoned mines [ref].
Underground Coal Mine – Poland, Europe
Methane Emission from Coal Mining
GHGSat satellites captured a methane plume from Silesia, one of Poland’s main coal-producing regions where there are around 17 underground mines that produce around 59 million tonnes of coal each year [ref].
Underground Coal Mine – Queensland, Australia
Methane Emission from Coal Mining
Australia is the fifth largest coal-producing country in the world, and in the coalfields of Queensland, northeastern Australia, there is more coal under development than in all other regions in the world (374mtpa) with projects planned in the Bowen and Galilee Basins [ref].
Coal Mine – Shanxi, China
Methane Emission from Coal Mining
China is by far the largest coal-producing nation, mining 3850Mt in 2019, compared to India, the second-highest at 777Mt with production increasing by 8% from 2015 to 2019. At COP26 the Chinese government announced it would be cutting coal consumption from 2026, despite having the highest proportion of new mine capacity – 609mtpa. This growth in new coal production is concentrated in three provinces Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Shanxi, the latter accounting for 89% of the proposed new capacity in China [ref].
Coal Mine – Kemerovo, Russia
Methane Emissions From Coal Mining
Russia is the sixth-largest coal producer in the world, producing 441 million tons in 2019 [ref]. The Russian government has set a plan to increase their coal production to at least 485 million tons by 2035, and the government believes that production will reach 668 million tons during the same period [ref]. With assets dispersed across such a large country, satellites provide a quick and reliable way to measure coal mine methane emissions across the country.
More on Coal Mine Methane
Manage Emissions Responsibly
Quantify emissions from opencast and closed coal mines with GHGSat’s unique satellite emissions monitoring and data analytics services.
Our newsletter – Be the first to know
Please select a HubSpot form in the block settings.
