Commentary: How China Can Curb Methane Emissions From Coal Mines

Countries are falling behind on their Paris Agreement commitments, leading the climate community to shift its focus on reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) other than carbon dioxide to slow global warming. Methane, the second most abundant climate pollutant, is a high-priority target. China is working to reduce methane emissions, but detailed execution is crucial [para. 1].

China's coal mines are the primary source of its energy-related methane emissions, contributing 39% out of the 42% that the entire energy sector is responsible for. China had the world's highest methane emissions at 64.11 million tons in 2018, primarily from coal mines, which contrasts with developed countries like the U.S. and Europe where the oil and gas industries are the largest methane sources [para. 3].

Eighty percent of China's coal mine methane (CMM) emissions come from underground operations. The methane concentration varies by coal mine type and mining activity, with 94% of China's CMM containing less than 30% methane. More than 83% of CMM is ventilation air methane (VAM), diluted to less than 0.75% methane. Capturing and utilizing VAM is technically challenging due to its low methane concentration and lack of policy support [para. 4][para. 5].

Despite past five-year plans (2006-2020), China has repeatedly missed its targets for CMM utilization. Although methane emissions from coal mines might decrease as coal production declines, the share of CMM emissions will remain significant. By 2050, CMM is projected to make up a quarter of China's methane emissions, excluding future emissions from an estimated 15,000 abandoned coal mines by 2030, which are projected to rise significantly without policy intervention [para. 6].

Coal mining companies lack incentives to capture and utilize low-concentration CMM due to the absence of mandatory policies, safety risks, and the economic infeasibility of current technologies. Typically, new-energy companies manage CMM utilization, but their profitability relies heavily on government subsidies, which are subject to regional and policy changes. VAM utilization projects face particular economic challenges despite technological innovations like regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO), which creates electricity from VAM but requires substantial initial investment and ongoing subsidies [para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10].

China’s national methane plan, launched in November 2023, outlines general guidelines but lacks specific targets for methane mitigation. This signifies China's alignment with global efforts and highlights methane as a bilateral collaborative priority between China and the U.S., as emphasized in the U.S.-China Sunnylands Statement. The plan commits to enhancing monitoring, supervision, and addressing leaks and flaring of methane by 2030 [para. 12][para. 13].

To make meaningful progress, China must create detailed policies that address the specific technical and financial barriers to CMM mitigation. Financial incentives are key, especially with the absence of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which made past CMM projects lucrative. The potential relaunch of China’s Certified Emissions Reduction (CCER) scheme could offer new financial motivations for VAM projects. Differentiated subsidies and updated CMM standards, reflecting technological advancements, can further reduce methane emissions [para. 14][para. 15][para. 16][para. 17].

China released a new methodology draft for calculating emission reductions from CMM under CCER in July 2023, focusing on low-concentration CMM, and unveiled a revised national standard aiming to ban CMM discharges exceeding 8%, improving upon the current 30% limit. This step intends to enforce stricter methane reduction measures in coal mines [para. 18].

Experts like Meian Chen, Diego Montero, and Hongqiao Liu contribute to this ongoing discourse on China's energy transition and methane reduction efforts [para. 19].