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

National Methane Forum

24 April 2024, Dzorwulu, Ghana

Methane falls under short-lived climate pollutants, with shorter atmospheric lifetimes but more adverse environmental impacts. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that average atmospheric methane growth rates have increased more than ten-fold in the past two decades, which could worsen global climate change over the next decade, undermining the achievement of targets under the Paris Agreement.

These impacts reflect an urgent need for stakeholders to consider practical strategies to curb methane emissions.

ACEP, in partnership with Trust Africa, is hosting National Methane Forum to enhance stakeholder awareness and advocacy on methane management in Africa.

Join key stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and civil society to deepen understanding of methane emissions and their impacts and to explore practical strategies for mitigating these emissions.

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Coal Mines

13th International Mining Geology Conference 2024

7–8 May 2024, Perth, Australia

The 13th International Mining Geology Conference will be held in Perth, Australia from 7 – 8 May 2024. The conference provides an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss innovations, trends, challenges, and solutions related to delivering value, planning, decision-making in geology, power of communication, and environmental responsibility. During the conference, industry experts will discuss advancements in mining geology, solutions to shared challenges, sustainable practices, and current techniques to maximize orebody, increase productivity, and improve decision making.

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Coal Mines

12th International Mine Ventilation Congress 2024

12–15 August 2024, Sydney, Australia

The 12th International Mine Ventilation Congress (IMVC) will take place in Sydney, Australia from 12-15 August 2024. The IMVC series is the only global gathering of the mine ventilation engineering community, and the event will include discussions about new technologies and developments to improve and refine ventilation, refrigeration, cooling, and health and safety in mines globally.

The conference theme is “Ventilation Engineering - The Heartbeat of Mining,” and it will focus on the opportunity to simultaneously promote safe ventilation practices and enhance the productivity and operational effectiveness of mines. The management of Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) will be among the topics covered during the event.

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Coal Mines

17th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies

20–24 October 2024, Calgary, Canada

The 17th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-17) will be held in Calgary, Canada from 20 – 24 October 2024. This conference series is held every two years and it is a principal event covering greenhouse gas mitigation technologies, with a focus on storage, carbon capture, and utilization.


Industry leaders, business partners, and government officials from around the world will attend the event to educate and lay foundations for international partnerships to accelerate carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies at a commercial level. The event will feature speeches, panel discussions, plenary sessions, and poster presentations.

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Recent Events

 NameDateLocationSectorLink
Biogas 2024 Global Methane Forum 18–21 March 2024 Geneva, Switzerland Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas, Steering, Agriculture, MSW, Wastewater View Details
Coal Mines 19th Annual Southern African Coal Conference 31 January–2 February 2024 Cape Town, South Africa Coal Mines View Details
Biogas 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) 30 November–12 December 2023 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Coal Mines 3rd Almaty Energy Forum 6–8 November 2023 Almaty, Kazakhstan Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Coal Mines International Mining and Resources Conference 31 October–2 November 2023 Syndney, Australia Coal Mines View Details
Biogas National Methane Forum 5 July 2023 Astana City, Kazakhstan Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Coal Mines 26th World Mining Congress 26–29 June 2023 Brisbane, Australia Coal Mines View Details
Biogas National Meeting “Reduction of Methane Emissions in Sectors of the Economy and Transition to Alternative Energy Sources” 21 June 2023 Karaganda City, Kazakhstan Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Biogas Roundtable "Methane Emissions in Kazakhstan: Current Situation and Necessary Measures for Reduction" 12 April 2023 Astana City, Kazakhstan Biogas, Coal Mines, Oil and Gas View Details
Coal Mines GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee Meeting, 21-22 March 2023 21–22 March 2023 Geneva, Switzerland 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.