Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC

A policy brief by Ember providing recommendations to the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry for the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (SNDC), focusing on the accurate reporting and mitigation of coal mine methane (CMM) emissions.

• Ember recommends that Indonesia recalculate its 2019 coal mine methane (CMM) baseline using an "average" global emission factor of 1.2 m3/ton instead of the 0.3 m3/ton factor used in the third Biennial Update Report (BUR). If this improved factor had been used, estimated fugitive methane emissions for the coal sector would have risen from 128 kt CH4 to 537 kt CH4.
• Current national estimates fail to account for underground coal mines, which the IPCC estimates have a methane intensity up to 25 times higher than surface mines. Ember notes that Indonesia's largest underground mine, with a production capacity of 20 million tons per year and a depth of 650 metres, could produce up to 332 kilotons of CH4 emissions if operating at full capacity without mitigation.
• Ember proposes several improvements to reporting and measurement, including the development of region-specific emission factors for Sumatra and Kalimantan (Tier 2), mandating direct measurement in underground mines to reduce worker fatality risks, and integrating GHG emission reporting into the business licensing process, specifically the RKAB (work and budget plan) submission.
• The brief suggests implementing CMM mitigation through pre-mine drainage and the capture of Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) using Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser technology. It further recommends limiting coal expansion to avoid stranded assets, noting that renewable energy projects in coal-producing regions could create nearly 100,000 jobs and attract over USD 9 billion in investment.

APA

Setiawan, D. (2024). Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/09/ENG-Ember-Policy-Paper-Recommendations-for-Indonesia-Second-NDC-3.pdf

Chicago

Setiawan, Dody. Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/09/ENG-Ember-Policy-Paper-Recommendations-for-Indonesia-Second-NDC-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Setiawan |first1=Dody |title=Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC |publisher=Ember |date=30 August 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/09/ENG-Ember-Policy-Paper-Recommendations-for-Indonesia-Second-NDC-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{setiawan2024recommendations, author = {Setiawan, Dody}, title = {{Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/09/ENG-Ember-Policy-Paper-Recommendations-for-Indonesia-Second-NDC-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }