Coal Sector

The Coal Mines Subcommittee focuses on supporting the identification and deployment of practical and cost-effective methane mitigation technologies and practices to reduce or eliminate emissions from coal mines. This is achieved by encouraging collaboration among Partner Countries, Subcommittee members, and Project Network members to build capacity, develop strategies and markets, and remove technical and non-technical barriers to methane mitigation project development. Ultimately, such collaboration can increase environmental quality, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the economy via the additional methane brought to market.

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Upcoming Events

Biogas

2024 Global Methane Forum

18–20 March 2024, Geneva, Switzerland

The 2024 Global Methane Forum will convene global thought and industry leaders in Geneva, Switzerland from 18-20 March 2024 to promote replicable methane mitigation successes and mobilize action to continue making progress toward addressing methane. The Forum will be hosted by the Global Methane Initiative and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in partnership with the Global Methane Hub and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

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Recent Events

 NameDateLocationSectorLink
Coal Mines 26th World Mining Congress 26–29 June 2023 Brisbane, Australia Coal Mines View Details
Coal Mines GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee Meeting, 21-22 March 2023 21–22 March 2023 Geneva, Switzerland Coal Mines View Details
Coal Mines 18th Session of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition 20–21 March 2023 Geneva, Switzerland Coal Mines View Details
Biogas 9th International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases 2–4 November 2022 Amsterdam, Netherlands Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Biogas 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies 23–27 October 2022 Lyon, France Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Biogas Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum 26–30 September 2022 Washington, D.C., United States Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas, Steering, Agriculture, MSW, Wastewater View Details
Coal Mines Clean Coal Technologies 2022 1–4 June 2022 Pittsburgh, United States Coal Mines View Details
Coal Mines International Conference on Coal Geology and Geophysical Methods 28–29 March 2022 Sydney, Australia Coal Mines View Details
Coal Mines GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee Meeting, 23 March 2022 23 March 2022 Virtual Coal Mines View Details
Coal Mines International Conference on Coal Geology and Coal Mining 21–22 March 2022 Tokyo, Japan Coal Mines View Details

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Coal Mines Subcommittee

Subcommittee Co-chairs

Manoj Kumar, Co-Chair
Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDI)
India

Volha Roshchanka, Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
United States

Liu Wenge, Co-Chair
China Coal Information Institute (CCII)
China

Subcommittee Members

Representatives from 22 countries participate in the Coal Mines Subcommittee.

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Project Network

Hundreds of Project Network members support methane abatement projects in the coal sector.

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Coal Mines Subcommittee Statement of Purpose
Coal Mines Subcommittee Statement of Purpose

Tell Us Your Story

Learn how you can showcase your efforts to reduce methane emissions in the coal sector through the Global Methane Challenge.

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Recent Resources

Check out these featured resources. For a complete list of available coal resources, including technical documents, presentations, and tools, please visit the resources page.

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International Coal Mine Methane Projects Database (2021)

This Excel document contains information on over two hundred coal mine methane recovery and utilization projects operating, in development, or planned around the world in both Global Methane Initiative partner and non-partner countries.

Conducting Pre-Feasibility Studies for Coal Mine Methane Projects Training (2020)

The U.S. EPA is developing this training course in support of the GMI and in conjunction with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). This course introduces principles for assessing the potential of developing projects to capture and/or use Coal Mine Methane (CMM). The introduced general approach should be underpinned by mine-specific data and analyses, allowing the principles to be tailored to the unique conditions at each mine. Ideally, such an assessment will lead to project development and implementation.

Global Methane Emissions from Coal Mining to Continue Growing Even with Declining Coal Production (2020)

Coal mines are one of the largest sources of anthropogenic methane emissions. As the world produces more coal, coal mines get deeper every year, and methane emissions grow with increasing mining depth. Mine operators also abandon old coal mines, which still emit methane into the atmosphere. The U.S. EPA, in collaboration with the Global Methane Initiative and several other organizations, co-authored this paper that presents projections of global methane emissions from coal mining under different coal extraction scenarios and with increasing mining depth through 2100. The study estimates methane emissions from underground and surface coal production while accounting for the increase in mining depth using several new and compiled data sets.

Coal Mine Methane Country Profiles (2020)

This document contains individual, comprehensive profiles that characterize the coal and coal mine methane sectors of 37 countries—29 Global Methane Initiative partners and an additional eight coal-producing nations. In addition, an Introduction section provides additional methane information, summary tables, and country statistics.

Pre-Feasibility Study for Methane Drainage and Utilization at the Casa Blanca Coal Mine (2019)

This pre-feasibility study was completed to determine the feasibility of a coal mine methane (CMM) capture and utilization project at the Casa Blanca Coal Mine in Colombia.

Pre-Feasibility Study for Methane Drainage and Utilization at the Pootkee Colliery, Damodar Valley (2019)

This pre-feasibility study was completed to determine the viability of a CMM drainage project at the Pootkee Colliery. Specifically, the study evaluated the technical and economic viability of utilizing long in-mine horizontal boreholes drilled into Seam XII to drain methane in advance of mining, and to identify end-use options for the drained methane.

Coal Mine Methane Mitigation and Utilization Technologies and Project Profiles (2018)
(also referred to as the Coal Mine Methane Technology Database)

This database provides basic descriptions of several key technologies applicable to coal mine methane recovery and utilization, including each technology’s current status and commercial availability. It is intended to be a living document, which will be periodically updated to remain current. The database is an updated and revised version of the original database compiled by Australia’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, on behalf of the Global Methane Initiative.

Methane Mitigation Matters (2015)

Methane is a prevalent manmade greenhouse gas that traps 28 times more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2). Reducing methane emissions by recovering and using methane as a clean energy source offers many benefits for the environment and local communities. This video highlights the many ways that reducing methane can benefit the environment and local communities.