Abandoned coal mines in the European Union (EU) emit around 298 million cubic meters (mcm) of methane per year, equal to emissions from the Nordstream pipeline explosion in 2022, a new report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a US think tank, revealed on Thursday.
GEM’s Global Coal Mine Tracker includes methane emissions data from 1,200 abandoned sites and mines retired between 2015 and 2023, as well as 5,226 active and proposed mines.
According to the data, Poland has the most abandoned underground hard coal mines in the EU and is the top emitter due to abandoned mines.
Poland has 16 mines releasing an estimated 110 mcm of methane annually, nearly 40% of the EU’s total methane emissions from abandoned mines.
The report points out that Germany’s high emissions might stem from the extreme depth of its abandoned mines and the high-quality anthracite coal, which may have a higher gas content.
The Czech Republic is the second largest emitter in the bloc, contributing about 90 mcm of methane annually, and Germany ranks third on the list with roughly 55 mcm of methane emission annually.
Almost 90% of the EU’s abandoned mine methane emissions originate from these top three countries, the report showed.
– Mitigation measures needed for stopping emissions
Dorothy Mei, project manager for the Global Coal Mine Tracker, said that even when a coal mine is closed, methane emissions do not cease, ‘especially if there are no mitigation measures in place.’
Mei indicated that the EU has a huge abandoned mine methane problem ‘that until now it barely understood.’
She stated that GEM’s dataset is essential in understanding the magnitude of the situation and gives countries the opportunity to monitor and manage their methane problems.
Last November, the EU reached a pioneering agreement to reduce methane emissions. Once the agreement enters into force, new regulations will require companies to measure methane emissions from thermal coal mines as well as maintain an inventory of inactive or abandoned assets to monitor emissions.
‘The EU’s regulation on methane emissions reduction is a promising path forward and with improved data collection, we can expect to get a better handle on the scale of the problem and move towards more effective mitigation.’ Mei added.
Sabina Assan, a coal mine methane analyst for London-based think tank Ember, noted that the EU’s closed and abandoned mines are an overlooked and often forgotten methane source.
‘Current estimates put emissions at 25% of the EU’s coal mine methane emissions, but due to the lack of measurements and data, it could be more.’ Assan said.
‘With the EU’s transition away from thermal coal and the upcoming EU Methane Regulation, the quality and speed of implementing measures to mitigate abandoned mine methane will be crucial for the EU to meet its climate goals,’ she said.
The International Energy Agency estimated that coal mining activities are responsible for more than 10% of total methane emissions, though this figure does not include emissions from abandoned mines.
