PROGRAMME

Session 21(P) - Air pollution

Dr. Helena Flocas

The limitation of the methane (CH4) emission in the Upper Silesia Coal Basin as a result of the Polish Mining Group closing program.

B Friday 3 September 10:25 - 10:28

Hard coal mining is responsible for 9% of the worldwide methane emission to the atmosphere. Methane is the second strongest greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, but its radiative power is 25-30 times stronger than the radiative power of CO2 .In the Polish reality, hard coal mining is one of the most important branch of economy due to big amounts of deposited coal in numerous coal seams which is being produced by many coal companies. The biggest active coal basin in the European Union – the Upper Silesia Coal Basin is responsible for 3% in the total greenhouse gases emission and 28% in the total CH4 emission in Poland. The Polish Mining Group (PMG) – the biggest extraction company in the EU announced that all active coal mines incorporated in the Group will be closed until 2049. Hard coal extraction has been decreasing in Poland since 1997 and the amount of released methane from coal mines direct to the atmosphere exceeded 735 million m3 in 2015 and remains high till now. The purpose of the study is to predict the results of PMG closuring program on methane emission changes in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin until 2049.