From coal boom to methane boom

Indonesia's coal industry has seen significant growth, leading to a surge in coal mine methane (CMM) emissions that are largely underreported by the government and industry. Ember estimates 2024 CMM emissions at 722 kt CH4, far exceeding the official figure of 168 kt CH4. This discrepancy is attributed to ineffective monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks and the exclusion of high-emission underground mines from official estimates. The report warns that the development of large underground mines, specifically one in South Kalimantan, will cause total CMM emissions to increase by approximately 25% by 2030, even if national coal production declines by 14%.

• There is a significant gap between official government reports and independent estimates of coal mine methane (CMM) emissions in Indonesia. Ember estimated 2024 CMM emissions at 722 kt CH4, which is more than four times the government's reported figure of 168 CH4.
• Underreporting of CMM emissions is driven by structural failures, including limited institutional capacity, low corporate awareness, and the use of inaccurate IPCC low emissions factors for open-cut mines. Furthermore, emissions from underground mines—which have higher emissions per ton—are excluded from official CMM estimations, despite potentially contributing one third of national CMM emissions.
• Corporate reporting is insufficient; five companies representing 17.7% of national coal production reported 90 kt CH4, which is more than half of the total officially reported CMM emissions for the entire sector.
• The growth of underground mining is projected to increase total CMM emissions by approximately 25% by 2030, even if national coal production declines by 14%. A single underground mine in South Kalimantan is projected to see emissions rise from 35 kt CH4 in 2024 to 332 kt CH4 in 2030 as it reaches full capacity.
• Mitigation technologies such as pre-mine drainage and ventilation air methane (VAM) oxidation are commercially viable but not currently applied in Indonesia. Additionally, abandoned mine methane (AMM) from underground mines requires post-closure management through financial guarantees or bonds to ensure gas control.

APA

Ember (2025). From coal boom to methane boom. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/from-coal-boom-to-methane-boom/

Chicago

Ember. From coal boom to methane boom. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/from-coal-boom-to-methane-boom/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=From coal boom to methane boom |date=6 November 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/from-coal-boom-to-methane-boom/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025from, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{From coal boom to methane boom}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/from-coal-boom-to-methane-boom/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }