Why the steel industry needs to tackle coal mine methane

The report highlights that methane emissions from coking coal mining add approximately 27% to the 20-year global warming impact of the steel industry. It argues that while the sector focuses on carbon capture (CCUS) and hydrogen, it ignores readily available technologies to reduce CMM. The document recommends that steelmakers only purchase coal from suppliers with net-zero compatible methane reduction plans and that policymakers include methane in carbon border adjustment mechanisms.

• Methane emissions from coking coal mining significantly increase the climate impact of steel production, adding an estimated 27% to the industry's 20-year global warming effect.
• In 2021, coking coal mines emitted nearly 12 million tonnes of methane, which is equivalent to approximately 988 million tonnes of CO2 using the IPCC's 20-year global warming potential multiplier of 82.5.
• Coal use in steelmaking is expected to persist through 2050; the IEA's Net Zero Emissions scenario requires coking coal usage to drop by 26% by 2030 and 83% by 2050, while announced pledges suggest a slower decline of 11% and 56% respectively.
• Methane emissions from coal mines can be reduced by 28-57% using available technologies, with 55% to 98% of these measures implementable at low or negative cost.
• Low-coal alternatives like electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and hydrogen-based steelmaking can reduce methane, but hydrogen projects are currently projected to capture only 1% of primary production by 2030.
• The report recommends that national policymakers apply the 20-year global warming potential (GWP) rather than the 100-year GWP to better reflect methane's near-term climate influence.

APA

Ember (2023). Why the steel industry needs to tackle coal mine methane. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/why-the-steel-industry-needs-to-tackle-coal-mine-methane

Chicago

Ember. Why the steel industry needs to tackle coal mine methane. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/why-the-steel-industry-needs-to-tackle-coal-mine-methane.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Why the steel industry needs to tackle coal mine methane |date=23 January 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/why-the-steel-industry-needs-to-tackle-coal-mine-methane |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023why, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Why the steel industry needs to tackle coal mine methane}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/why-the-steel-industry-needs-to-tackle-coal-mine-methane}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }