Methane emissions monitoring in coal mining: A space for training and analysis

As part of the project: “Strengthening the MRV system for the mining sector” with emphasis on coal mining, a hand-on training workshop was held to strengthen capacities in measuring and estimating methane emissions in coal mining.

Implemented by POLEN Just Transitions with the support of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the workshop aimed to build the technical skills and collaborative networks needed to monitor and manage methane emissions in Colombia’s coal mines.

The training brought together 26 participants from Colombia’s mining and environmental landscape:

• Government agencies such as MinEnergía, MinAmbiente, IDEAM, SGC, UPME, ANM, and ANLA.
• Civil society voices like Censat Agua Viva and Cesar sin Fracking y sin Gas, representing communities living with the realities of coal extraction.
• Industry leaders from companies like Uniminas and Colombia Natural Resources, operating both underground and open-pit coal mines.

Over three sessions on February 20, 25, and 27, 2025 at Heinrich Böll Foundation in Bogota and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, participants engaged in 12 hours of training Led by a top-tier academic team from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, including Professor Rodrigo Jiménez Pizarro, Ph.D., and experts Andrés V. Ardila, M.Sc. and Ángela C. Vargas, M.Sc.

Key learnings from the workshop

The workshop provided an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities in the measurement and monitoring of methane emissions in coal mining. This training space equipped participants with fundamental knowledge on climate impact of methane, metrology applied to emissions measurement, and the use of advanced technologies such as spectroscopic sensors, drones, and satellites for methane monitoring in coal mining in Colombia. Through practical exercises, participants strengthened their skills in environmental data collection, management, and interpretation.

One of the key topics addressed in the workshop was the complexity of measuring fugitive methane emissions in this sector. Among the main conclusions, the use of national emission factors (Tier 2), satellite imagery, airborne sensors, and manual sensors (for underground mining) was highlighted as essential for methane emissions estimation in the country.

Regarding satellite data, its potential for providing information on methane emissions from open-pit coal mining in Colombia was recognized. However, its application in underground mining faces challenges due to the high cloud cover and complex topography of the Andean region. On the other hand, airborne systems proved to be highly useful tools for methane measurement in coal mining. However, they are not the most suitable for underground mining or abandoned underground mines, due to the dense vegetation that often surrounds these sites.

The importance of data collected in underground mining through methane sensors installed within the mines was also discussed, particularly for mine safety, given the risk explosiveness. If this information was provided periodically and complemented with data on ventilation flow and coal production at each mine, it could facilitate emissions estimation, enable the development of site-specific emission factors, and reach a Tier 3 level according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC.

This training space helped strengthen the technical capacities of key stakeholders in Colombia’s coal mining sector in methane emissions measurements and monitoring. Additionally, it fostered coordination among government institutions involved in the topic, promoting their participation in integrating coal mining into the country’s climate change mitigation efforts.