Methane to Markets
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U.S. - China Bilateral Cooperation to Produce a Major Coal Mine
Methane Capture and Use Feasibility Study in 2008
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has committed up to
$400,000 to fund a feasibility study for a coal mine methane (CMM) recovery and
utilization project in China. The anticipated outcomes of this project include
environmental, safety, economic, and energy benefits. This project supports the goals of
both the Methane to Markets Partnership and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate. It is also a first step in the U.S - China collaboration to deliver
up to 15 CMM projects as a part of the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED).
Methane is both the primary constituent of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas
(GHG) when released to the atmosphere. Capturing and using CMM as a clean-burning
energy source can reduce GHG emissions while bolstering mine productivity and
revenues. Methane must be removed from underground coal mines before and/or
during mining to ensure mine safety. Increasing recovery and use of CMM improves
mine safety through the use of more effective mine drainage technologies and practices.
This feasibility study is a critical step in the project development process and will include
analysis of methane resource data, a market assessment for the produced methane, an
evaluation of degasification and methane utilization technologies, a technical analysis
with preliminary engineering design work, an estimate of project capital and operating
costs, and a full economic and financial analysis with cash flow projections. The
feasibility study will be conducted by Advance Resources International at a mine site to
be determined in China.
China is the world's largest coal producer and has significant opportunity to recover and
utilize coal mine methane emissions as a clean energy source. The US and China have
worked collaboratively together since the early 1990s to promote the development of
CMM recovery and utilization projects. In 1994, EPA and China established a Coalbed
Methane Clearinghouse, operated by the China Coal Information Institute (CCII) within
the State Administration of Worker Safety (SAWS). EPA continues to support the
Clearinghouse in their efforts to advance CMM development in China.

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