The Global Methane Initiative - Advancing Coal Mine Methane Project Opportunities

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, accounting for a sizable percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Coal seams often contain significant quantities of methane which is released during and after coal mining activity, creating a health and safety hazard for coal mine workers. To mitigate these hazards, coal mine methane (CMM) is removed through ventilation and drainage systems and historically vented to the atmosphere. Many coal mines have realized that methane is a valuable clean energy resource that can be captured and used productively. This paper presents the sources of coal mine methane and how it can be collected for use in energy projects. Energy project opportunities are discussed, including power generation, natural gas pipeline injection, vehicle fuel, industrial process feed stocks, on-site mine boilers, mine heating, and home heating distribution systems. Example project economics are presented, in addition to a discussion of incentives, financing and the Global Methane Initiative that can assist in project development. This paper concludes with a discussion of opportunities for recovering methane from coal mines in Turkey.