EU coal mines still vent methane: satellite findings from Poland

A report by Ember using satellite data reveals that Polish coal mines were the most frequent fossil fuel methane super-emitters in the EU in 2025. Despite the EU Methane Regulation's ban on routine venting from drainage systems starting in January 2025, satellite evidence indicates continued venting at several Polish sites, highlighting a gap in enforcement and the absence of a national penalty framework in Poland.

• In 2025, Polish coal mines were the most frequent fossil fuel methane super-emitters in the EU, accounting for 96% of analyzed methane plumes (109 out of 114) over onshore European energy infrastructure.
• Satellite analysis indicates that five out of 22 investigated drainage systems in Polish coal mines continued to vent methane in 2025, potentially violating the EU Methane Regulation ban that took effect in January 2025.
• Coking coal mines are the primary source of super-emitter events in Poland, accounting for 90 out of 109 observed methane releases in 2025, despite representing only 25% of the country's total hard coal production.
• The largest single methane emission event detected from a coking coal mine released 7,557 kg/h, which has a short-term climate impact equivalent to approximately 117,000 cars driving for one hour.
• In 2024, Polish coal mines emitted 57,000 unutilised tonnes of methane from drainage systems, utilizing only 70% of captured gas. If captured, this wasted gas could provide one week of average annual heating for 14.5 million Polish households.
• Poland has failed to notify the European Commission of its penalty rules for infringements by the August 5, 2025 deadline, and reports from Polish mining companies have not been independently verified.
• Coal mining is the largest source of fossil methane in the EU; in 2023, these activities emitted 783.6 thousand tonnes (kt) of methane, representing 60% of the EU energy sector's methane emissions.

APA

Assan, S., & Liepa, A. (2026). EU coal mines still vent methane: satellite findings from Poland. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/02/PDF-Copy-2026_01-Poland-Venting-Short-Analysis.pdf

Chicago

Assan, Sabina, and Adomas Liepa. EU coal mines still vent methane: satellite findings from Poland. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/02/PDF-Copy-2026_01-Poland-Venting-Short-Analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Assan |first1=Sabina |last2=Liepa |first2=Adomas |title=EU coal mines still vent methane: satellite findings from Poland |publisher=Ember |date=11 February 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/02/PDF-Copy-2026_01-Poland-Venting-Short-Analysis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{assan2026coal, author = {Assan, Sabina and Liepa, Adomas}, title = {{EU coal mines still vent methane: satellite findings from Poland}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/02/PDF-Copy-2026_01-Poland-Venting-Short-Analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }