Ember Research Spotlight: satellite observations reveal coal super-emitters, but monitoring gaps persist

This report by Ember examines the effectiveness of satellite monitoring in detecting methane emissions from global hard coal mines, noting a significant gap between theoretical detectability and actual observations.

• Satellite observations of methane emission plumes from coal mines grew by approximately 1,400% between 2019 and 2024, increasing from 101 to 1,509 detectionsCS. During this period, cumulative detected emissions rose from 6.8 to 10.8 million kilograms per hour.
• There is a substantial gap between the theoretical ability to detect methane and actual observations: while 71% of hard coal production is located in regions with favourable conditions for detection, only 10% of global hard coal production has had at least one attributed methane plume detected via satellite.
• Eight of the top nine coal producers lack adequate satellite coverage relative to their viewing conditions. For example, South Africa and Australia have 99.5% and 92% of productionC production in favourable conditions, but only 7% and 20% of their hard coal production have had plumes attributed to them. India and Indonesia both record 0% detection, despite 73% of India's hard coal production being in favourable regions. In Kazakhstan, 35% of hard coal production has been detected despite 77% being in favourable regions.
• Certain regions exhibit detection rates that exceed their theoretical favourability due to targeted monitoring or regulation. In Canada, plumes are detected across 31% of hard coal production despite only 16% being classified as favourable, aided by Carbon Mapper's systematic coverage. In Poland, 49% of hard coal production has detected plumes despite only 46% being deemed favourable, driven by the EU Methane Regulation's reporting requirements and venting restrictions.

APA

Ember (2026). Ember Research Spotlight: satellite observations reveal coal super-emitters, but monitoring gaps persist. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/ember-research-spotlight-satellite-observations-reveal-coal-super-emitters-but-monitoring-gaps-persist/

Chicago

Ember. Ember Research Spotlight: satellite observations reveal coal super-emitters, but monitoring gaps persist. 2026. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/ember-research-spotlight-satellite-observations-reveal-coal-super-emitters-but-monitoring-gaps-persist/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Ember Research Spotlight: satellite observations reveal coal super-emitters, but monitoring gaps persist |date=29 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/ember-research-spotlight-satellite-observations-reveal-coal-super-emitters-but-monitoring-gaps-persist/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2026ember, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Ember Research Spotlight: satellite observations reveal coal super-emitters, but monitoring gaps persist}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/ember-research-spotlight-satellite-observations-reveal-coal-super-emitters-but-monitoring-gaps-persist/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }