Conal Campbell: Coal Mine Methane policy analyst at Ember

Watch recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvQWTLn4EjU

The European Union is legislating on an energy sector methane regulation. This comes after the EU and United States led on the Global Methane Pledge at COP 26 in Glasgow last year where over 100 countries promised to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by 30% this decade. 

Conal Campbell and the Coal Mine Methane team at Ember, a British think tank working on coal to clean energy policy, will present on the coal aspects of the EU's proposed regulation. 

Aspects of the EU proposal which will be discussed include monitoring and reporting at operating coal mines. Here, terms in the regulation such as "continuous" and 'measurement "and/or" quantification' are being debated. A provision on using "apparatus with a methane concentration sensitivity threshold of at least 100 parts per million" is being opposed by Ember based on our understanding that just monitoring methane concentration levels is not appropriate to characterise methane leaks - flux is what matters*. The EU's proposal sets out further requirements for gassy underground mines but mining companies still assert that capture and utilisation is expensive or problematic. 

A second important provision of the regulation is the need for different methane monitoring technologies at abandoned rather than operating mines. While flux readings are vital for operating mines, in the case of abandoned mines large fluxes of air are stopped as ventilation is ceased, so when methane emissions are occurring (at low atmospheric pressure) the concentration of methane is much larger.  

Questions around instrument sensitivity (parts per million) will be key to the effectiveness of this part of the regulation. 

Finally an overview will be presented of the EU's hopes to use satellite monitoring such as the International Methane Emissions Observatory to eventually reduce methane emissions from global coal exporters selling into Europe 

* Regarding flux - we think that we should target at 0.5kt/year per shaft but this figure is somewhat arbitrary. In Poland there are currently approx 45 ventilation shafts and overall emission of close to 300kt/year. So the total overall uncertainty will be close to 5 kt (a bit less) so it will make the budget 300 +- 10 kt/year. In this way we will be able to judge the reduction by 30% easily with a confidence level of 95%. 

Bio

Conal works on coal mine methane, which causes more warming than shipping and aviation combined according to the International Energy Agency. Ember cooperates on this topic with organisations such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Environmental Program and European Union institutions. Ember’s policy engagement focuses on highlighting the need for action on coal mine methane. This includes analysing how emissions should be monitored, reported and verified, as well as being captured and utilised to mitigate damage to the environment.

Conal lives in Ireland. He studied at Trinity College Dublin,

University College London and University College Dublin. He previously lived in Eastern Europe working on international public policy.