Romania risks penalties for methane-intensive hard coal production

Romania's hard coal mines in the Jiu Valley are significantly exceeding the EU's upcoming methane intensity limits, with 2022 levels at 14.9 tonnes per kilotonne of coal compared to a 2027 limit of 5 tonnes. To avoid penalties, the document suggests Romania improve its degassing efficiency from 25% to at least 50% and implement Abandoned Mine Methane (AMM) projects, similar to those used in Germany, Poland, France, and Russia.

• Romania's hard coal mines in the Jiu Valley, operated by state-owned company CEVJ, are at risk of non-compliance with the EU Methane Regulation. In 2022, the average methane intensity was 14.9 tonnes per kilotonne of coal, which is nearly threefold the limit of 5 tonnes per kilotonne required by 2027.
• Methane emissions from coal mining in Romania were significant in 2021, representing 60% (213 thousand tonnes) of the energy sector's total reported methane emissions. Despite a plan to end extraction by 2030, CEVJ increased hard coal extraction in early 2024, moving from 500 tonnes per day in January toward a target of 2,000 tonnes per day by June.
• Romania's current methane capture rate of 25% is lower than that of Russia, Poland, Germany, and France, which capture up to 60%. Increasing Romania's degassing efficiency to 50% would increase usable methane from 447 to 1,300 tonnes per year, potentially generating 9 thousand MWh of electricity and heat and saving 24 million tonnes of CO2e annually.
• Romania has not yet implemented Abandoned Mine Methane (AMM) projects, despite having closed 173 underground mines between 1935 and 2019. In contrast, Germany has used AMM to generate 544 GWh of electricity and 108 GWh of heat.

APA

Assan, D. S. (2024). Romania risks penalties for methane-intensive hard coal production. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Factsheet-English.pdf

Chicago

Assan, Dr Sabina. Romania risks penalties for methane-intensive hard coal production. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Factsheet-English.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Assan |first1=Dr Sabina |title=Romania risks penalties for methane-intensive hard coal production |publisher=Ember |date=10 October 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Factsheet-English.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{assan2024romania, author = {Assan, Dr Sabina}, title = {{Romania risks penalties for methane-intensive hard coal production}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Factsheet-English.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }