Coalmine Methane Recovery Projects

TC+ES's research suggests that coalmine methane is one of the premier carbon offset opportunities around the world, offering large and cost-effective emissions reduction potentials. Nearly four million metric tons of methane in the form of coal seam gas are vented to the atmosphere each year from operating and abandoned coal mines in the United States. A typical 1,000 kilowatt system can result in the reduction of almost 2,000 metric tons of methane per year, or the equivalent of more than 40,000 tons of CO₂, both from avoiding the methane emissions themselves and displacing alternative fossil fuel consumption for power production.

The gas, however, generally is of very low quality and is difficult to burn in conventional gas-fired power plants. TC+ES works with a Northwest Fuel Development company that has patented a technology to successfully produce electricity from this low-quality methane gas and which has a track record of doing so. In principle, this technology has the potential to produce 1,000 to 2,000 MW of power at U.S. mines, and offset the equivalent of millions of tons of carbon dioxide.

In 1996, TC+ES designed and contracted for the first coalmine methane offset project using this technology, located in Ohio in the United States. Since then, TC+ES has developed and procured funding for several additional projects in the United States on behalf of clients, including PacifiCorp, TransAlta, Entergy, and Shaklee Corp.