CAPTURING WASTE GAS FROM MINING OPERATIONS

Coal Mine Methane (CMM) is a residual waste which is necessarily released from coal mines for safety purposes, keeping the underground conditions of mines below explosive limits. Coal mines are responsible for nearly 10% of U.S. methane emissions. No regulatory requirements or penalties exist in the U.S. for the abatement of coal mine methane emissions, which are a potent greenhouse gas. Methane emissions from underground coal mines continue after mines are closed and abandoned and can produce significant emissions for decades. The overwhelming majority of coal mines ventilate methane to the atmosphere, with only 13 of the 539 active U.S. mines reporting the use of capture devices in 2022. According to the Global Energy Monitor, the methane released from active U.S. mines was estimated to have been 82.9 million MT CO2e that year. In 2023, less than 0.1% of the 30,771 abandoned mines registered methane capture projects. Abandoned mines are not required to report their emissions; however, the EPA’s Inventory Analysis estimates that abandoned mines emitted 6.4 million MT CO2e of uncaptured methane in 2021. Methane emissions from abandoned mines are estimated to increase 8-fold by the end of the century.1

Rather than releasing methane to the atmosphere, recent landfill and agricultural projects are capturing this residual waste, processing it, and delivering it to market as renewable natural gas (RNG). CNX’s solution for CMM follows the same principles of residual waste methane capture, processing, compression, and transportation of methane to market. The EPA has developed a federal Coalbed Methane Outreach Program, working collaboratively with the industry to “promote the profitable recovery, utilization, and mitigation of Coal Mine Methane (CMM)”. CMM has been recognized by the EPA as a clean-burning fuel. Because CMM is released through mining activities, the recovery and use of CMM is considered emissions avoidance. CMM projects—including natural gas pipeline sales—have been included in major international carbon trading programs for over 15 years, including the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard.

CMM is a targeted, ultra-low carbon intensity energy source eligible to create alternative energy credits when used for electrical power generation in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, and Utah. Additionally, the Climate Action Reserve, California Air Resource Board (“CARB”), and American Carbon Registry each have CMM protocols for CMM projects, which include peer-reviewed, rigorous monitoring, and quantification procedures that allow for a robust expression of the benefits of CMM’s methane avoidance.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National laboratory performed a detailed life cycle analysis on CMM. Argonne’s scientists included a Coal Mine Methane/ Waste Methane Utilization within the published 2023 R&D GREET recognizing the methane emissions avoidance benefit of capturing and utilizing CMM.

The coal producing regions—where workers are challenged disproportionately by the energy transition—could lead our country in methane emissions reductions, while also driving economic value in their communities. Local governments will benefit from new tax revenue and income, thanks to the capital-intensive nature of the buildout of coal mine methane capture and processing systems. Capturing all forecasted emissions from CMM would reduce emissions by a total of 236 million metric tonnes of CO2e over a 20-year timeframe and create over 500 jobs annually through 2041. 2

For more information visit www.wastegascapture.com

Every year CNX captures waste methane CO2e emissions equivalent to:
    • 2.1m
      2.1 million gasoline powered vehicles
    • 1.1m
      Over 1.1m homes’ energy use for 1 year
    • 1.7m
      Over 1.7m homes’ electricity use for 1 year
    • 21m
      21 million barrels of oil consumed

www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

1.[Kholod et al.]—Kholod, N., Evans, M., Pilcher, R., et al. (February 2020). Global methane emissions from coal mining to continue growing even with declining coal production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256.

2. West Virginia Development to Capture Mine Methane Emissions: IMPLAN, FTI Consulting; 2023