Major loopholes for coal mines in EU methane regulation

The report identifies two primary loopholes in the EU methane regulation: the weakening of venting thresholds for thermal coal and the delayed regulation of coking coal. These gaps are projected to result in an additional 2.2 million tonnes of methane emissions by 2050, failing the EU's 58% reduction goal. The analysis highlights that Poland is the primary source of EU coal mine methane (CMM), with seven high-methane thermal coal mines accounting for all of Poland's reported thermal hard coal emissions. Ember recommends tightening venting thresholds to 1 tonne methane/kilotonne of coal by 2030, prioritizing the retirement of high-methane mines, and implementing a 5 tonne threshold for coking coal to avoid 3 million tonnes of methane by 2050. Additionally, the report notes that Romania's abandoned mines represent a significant opportunity for methane capture, potentially generating 0.5 TWh of electricity.

• The latest revisions to the EU methane regulation are projected to reduce coal mine methane emissions by only 47%, failing to meet the stated climate goal of a 58% reduction and resulting in an extra 2.2 million tonnes of methane by 2050.
• Poland is the largest source of coal mine methane in the EU, emitting 576 thousand tonnes in 2020, which represents 61% of the EU's total CMM emissions.
• A small number of Polish mines are disproportionately responsible for emissions; seven thermal coal mines emitted all of Poland's reported thermal hard coal methane (232 thousand tonnes) while producing only about 40% of the output.
• The regulation's failure to set a venting threshold for coking coal, with a delayed timeline of five years, misses the opportunity to prevent 3 million tonnes of methane by 2050.
• Venting thresholds for thermal coal were weakened in the latest revision, increasing from 0.5 to 5 tonnes of CH4 per kilotonne of coal until 2031, which will emit 900 thousand more tonnes of methane by 2050 than the original proposal.
• Romania is the EU's second largest CMM emitter, with abandoned and closed mines releasing 200 thousand tonnes of methane in 2021, accounting for 85% of the EU's abandoned mine methane (AMM) emissions.
• Capturing just half of Romania's current abandoned mine methane emissions could generate approximately 0.5 TWh of electricity, valued at 75 million euros.

APA

Campbell, C. (2023). Major loopholes for coal mines in EU methane regulation. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/major-loopholes-for-coal-mines-in-eu-methane-regulation

Chicago

Campbell, Conal. Major loopholes for coal mines in EU methane regulation. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/major-loopholes-for-coal-mines-in-eu-methane-regulation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Campbell |first1=Conal |title=Major loopholes for coal mines in EU methane regulation |publisher=Ember |date=2 March 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/major-loopholes-for-coal-mines-in-eu-methane-regulation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{campbell2023major, author = {Campbell, Conal}, title = {{Major loopholes for coal mines in EU methane regulation}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/major-loopholes-for-coal-mines-in-eu-methane-regulation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }