Submission to the Review of Australia’s Coal Mine Waste Gas method

This submission by Ember to the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) argues for the extension and expansion of Australia's Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) method beyond 2025. Ember recommends extending the methodology to include open-cut mines and improving measurement and verification frameworks to accelerate the decarbonisation of the coal sector.

• The Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) method has provided significant incentives for coal sector mitigation since 2015, with 15 registered projects resulting in the mitigation of 2.78 million tonnes of CO2-e. The majority of these projects are located in Queensland and focus on using fugitive methane gas at metallurgical coal mines for electricity displacement.
• Ember argues that the CMWG method should be expanded to include open-cut mines. This is supported by the shift toward site-specific measurement of fugitive methane emissions (Method 2) under NGER scheme reforms, which may increase industry interest. For example, South Walker Creek has proposed a CMWG-power station that could potentially reduce annual emissions by 647,000 tonnes CO2-e across Scope 1 and 2.
• The CMWG method is viewed as a necessary supplement to the Safeguard Mechanism, which Ember claims may perversely reward lower-emitting open-cut mines due to its dynamically adjusted emissions baselines. Additionally, the Safeguard Mechanism lacks incentives for scope 2 emissions, whereas CMWG-powered plants could provide grid reliability and 'firming' for renewable energy during the transition in New South Wales and Queensland.
• Current measurement and verification tools for methane emissions are described as needing urgent review. Ember suggests that the existing practice of using geotechnical cores should be combined with total site-level measurements, including satellite, drone-based remote sensing, or stationary sensors, to ensure the integrity of abatement claims.
• Ember estimates that applying ventilated air methane (VAM) mitigation projects to the 12 highest-emitting mines in Queensland could reduce an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2-e beyond existing Safeguard requirements, with similar potential in New South Wales. However, VAM typically represents over 80 per cent of underground mine scope 1 emissions, yet current uptake of VAM mitigation remains limited.
• The submission identifies a lack of diversity among entities using the CMWG method, noting that most opportunities have been taken by EDL and its sub-entities. Ember recommends a broader stakeholder engagement approach, similar to the landfill gas method, which has 89 registered projects and has reduced 7.3 million tonnes of CO2-e.

APA

Wright, C. (2024). Submission to the Review of Australia’s Coal Mine Waste Gas method. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/CMWG-Method-Submission-2025.pdf

Chicago

Wright, Christopher. Submission to the Review of Australia’s Coal Mine Waste Gas method. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/CMWG-Method-Submission-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wright |first1=Christopher |title=Submission to the Review of Australia’s Coal Mine Waste Gas method |publisher=Ember |date=4 February 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/CMWG-Method-Submission-2025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wright2024submission, author = {Wright, Christopher}, title = {{Submission to the Review of Australia’s Coal Mine Waste Gas method}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/02/CMWG-Method-Submission-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }