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The Global Methane Initiative is an international initiative that advances cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source.

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Resources
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Currently the world's largest coal producer and consumer, China produced 949.1 million metric tons of underground coal in 2000. China's energy needs are met primarily by coal; it consumes virtually all of the coal it produces. China has large reserves of gassy, high-rank coal, and its coalbed methane (CBM) re-sources are estimated to be twice those of the U.S.

China also leads the world in overall coal mine methane (CMM) emissions, emitting 172 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents from coal mining activities in 2000. CMM emissions are projected to increase dramatically in the next several decades. Recent legislation required that all gassy mines practice methane drainage. About 85 to 90 percent of methane released to the atmosphere from coal mining in China originates in underground mines. All of China's state-owned coal mines (SOCMs) employ longwall or other caving methods of mining that release gas into adjacent strata.

China has a long history of CMM recovery. Underground methane drainage began in China in the 1950s, and surface CMM development began in the 1990s. By 2002, the China Coal Information Institute (CCII) reported that 196 coal mines in China had drainage systems in place. Total methane drainage in 2002 was 1.5 billion cubic meters; of this amount, approximately 500 million cubic meters were recovered and used, mostly as boiler fuel and town gas.

Resources

Feasibility Studies: EPA's Coalbed Methane Outreach Program has launched five full-scale feasibility studies of coal mine methane recovery and utilization projects at Chinese coal mines. The studies will assess the technical and economic viability of implementing methane recovery and utilization projects, with detailed findings and project implementation recommendations compiled in comprehensive final reports.
- Feasibility Study of CMM Utilization for Songzao Coal and Electricity Company Coal Mines (May 2009) (PDF) (150 pp, 7.5MB)
  This document is also available in Chinese (May 2009) (PDF). (161 pp, 11.2MB)
- Feasibility Study for CMM Drainage and Utilization at Liuzhuang Coal Mine, Huainan Coal Field (February 2010) (PDF) (180 pp, 9.1MB)
  The Executive Summary of this document is available in Chinese (PDF). (8 pp, 374K)
- Feasibility Study of CMM Utilization for Guizhou Nengfa Power Fuel Development Co., Ltd. Linhua Mine Located in Guizhou Province (December 2010) (PDF) (100 pp, 4.6MB)
  - Maps (PDF) (6 pp, 21.8MB)
  - Exhibits (PDF) (10 pp, 1.8MB)
  - Appendices (PDF) (30 pp, 733K)
  - Complete Study (ZIP) (22.7MB)
  This document is also available in Chinese (December 2010) (PDF). (135 pp, 3.9MB)
- Feasibility Study for CMM Drainage and Utilization: Inner Mongolia Tai Xi Group Mines (December 2011) (PDF) (88 pp, 2.6MB)
  The Executive Summary of this document is available in Chinese (PDF). (9 pp, 689K)

China's Energy Markets: Anhui, Chongqing, Henan, and Guizhou Provinces (November 2011) (PDF) (130 pp, 4.1MB)
This EPA publication features information resulting from energy market analyses performed during the course of several comprehensive coal mine methane (CMM) recovery and utilization feasibility studies conducted in China.

Virginia Tech's Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research Report: A Regional Handbook for Coalbed Methane Degasification in the Southern Shanxi Province, China (August 2011) (PDF) (98 pp, 4.5MB)

Coal Mine Methane in China: A Budding Asset with the Potential to Bloom (February 2009) IEA Information Paper, February 2009. International Energy Agency. An assessment of technology, policy, and financial issues relating to CMM in China, based on interviews conducted at coal mines in Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.

Global Methane Coal Mine Methane Overview (December 2010) (PDF) (3 pp, 283K)
More information »

World Bank Report: A Strategy for Coal Bed Methane (CBM) and Coal Mine Methane (CMM) Development and Utilization in China (January 2007)

Pew Center on Global Climate Change Report: Coal in China: Resources, Uses, and Advanced Coal Technologies (March 2010) (PDF) (31 pp, 960K)

Methane to Markets Partnership in China: Summary Report from the China Coalbed Methane Clearinghouse, 2006-2010 (PDF) (43 pp, 3.0MB)

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Organizations

Pew Center for Global Climate Change

China Coalbed Methane Clearinghouse – Developed by Coal Mine Safety Supervision Administration of CCII and EPA in 1994 to promote CBM/CMM recovery and use in China.

35 Shaoyaoju, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100029, P.R.China
Tel/Fax: 0086-10-84657948
Email: cbmc@public.bta.net.cn

Guizhou CMM Initiative – Hosted by the Guizhou International Cooperation Center for Environmental Protection, has conducted an EPA-sponsored project to promote CMM project development in Guizhou Province.

Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs, Jackson, WY is conducting an EPA–funded project to promote CMM projects in Shanxi Province, China.