The warming caused by methane is more than 80 times higher compared to carbon dioxide, and the concentration of the former in the atmosphere is currently rising faster than at any point in time since the 1980s.
At least 25% of the current climate warming is caused by methane due to human activities, but the available solutions allow us to reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere, and the fastest and most cost-effective possibilities lie in the energy and mining sectors.
In the European Union, Poland is the largest emitter of methane originating from coal mining, followed by Romania and the Czech Republic. In 2021, Polish mining accounted for 96% of the EU’s black coal production, and it ranked as the second country in terms of lignite production. On average, 9.4 tonnes of methane are emitted per one thousand tonnes of black coal mined in Poland.
The EU’s methane emission reduction project, which was published in December 2021, takes the initiative of reducing methane emissions by 30% by the year 2030.
The basic assumptions for reducing methane emissions include performing a number of tasks, starting with studies, plans, the construction of surface demethanation stations, the construction of surface and underground networks of demethanation pipelines, the drilling of methane drainage holes, connecting the holes to the demethanation network, constantly monitoring the parameters of the captured gas, both at the bottom of the mine and through continuous monitoring of the parameters in the demethanation station.
In Polish mining, methane is captured mainly from coal seams where extraction is in progress. In contrast, the capture of methane from abandoned headings is characterised by significant variability in the stability of methane parameters, which is affected by barometric pressure.
The process of reducing methane emissions begins with the commencement of research work aimed at identifying the locations of methane accumulations in abandoned headings, isolated with partitions. In order to reach methane reservoirs, it is necessary to drill a series of directional drainage holes, allowing the gas to be discharged into the pipeline network, thereby preventing the possibility of its entry into the ventilation air of the mine, and subsequently into the atmospheric air. The methane accessed through these holes is used to generate electricity in gas engines.
In December 2019, the European Commission published the European Green Deal communication, which assumed achieving a climate-neutral European Union by 2050.
In October 2020, the EC published a new strategy on reducing methane emissions, which focuses on reducing methane in three economic sectors, i.e. agriculture, waste and energy.
The assumptions for the Polish mining industry require that the mine demethanation efficiency be at least 50%, with the economic use of methane amounting to a minimum of 95%.
WE SUPPORT THE MINING INDUSTRY IN REDUCING METHANE EMISSIONS
