European coal mines reported unprecedented drops in methane emissions last year, reductions so steep that experts say they cannot be explained by lower output alone. The real cause, according to scientists, is a change in reporting rules that lets mine operators set their own emission factors, allowing them to drastically understate their pollution. – I don’t believe these numbers at all – said Jarosław Necki, a professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow and a leading global expert on methane emissions.
Two of Poland’s largest open-pit lignite mines, Bełchatów and Turów, reported methane emissions in 2024 that were roughly one-thousandth of the levels shown by independent tests over the past two decades, Bloomberg noted. In the Czech Republic, emissions from similar mines fell by 91 percent between 2022 and 2024. In Germany, where about a fifth of electricity still comes from fossil fuels, nine out of ten lignite mines recorded a 64 percent drop in emissions in 2024 compared to the previous year. In all cases, the reductions were far larger than can be attributed to production cuts.
The role of the emission factor
Experts say the dramatic decline in reported methane emissions stems from a fundamental change in measurement methodology, introduced under an EU plan to monitor and curb the gas. Regulators approved a change to the so-called emission factor, a number multiplied by a mine’s annual coal output to calculate its yearly methane emissions. Before last year, most open-pit mine operators, which account for three-quarters of EU coal mines, used emission factors based on national formulas. Now, operators are asked to determine their own factors based on site-specific tests, with no official guidelines on how to conduct them.
This change essentially allows open-pit mine operators to self-assess their results, which in turn permits them to understate emissions. It may allow governments and companies to exaggerate progress toward climate goals while underestimating the scale of remaining action, Bloomberg commented. – Deliberately inappropriate techniques are being used to benefit coal mines, not the environment – Necki told the agency.
New rules, old tricks
Some large mining companies have already taken advantage of the new option. Polish state-owned PGE, which operates Bełchatów and Turów, introduced new emission factors for those sites. According to the latest tests, recorded emission levels were more than 99 percent lower than previous results. – These are absurdly low numbers – Necki said. Germany went a step further, including industry-supplied values in its official April report to the United Nations. It defined a new medium implied emission factor that was 60 percent lower than the previous one.
All mining companies that Bloomberg contacted described their methane tests as being in line with EU regulations and scientific norms. Nevertheless, the loophole has drawn sharp criticism from researchers who fear it could undermine climate monitoring efforts. The issue will be among the topics discussed at the Future Mining Forum & Expo, scheduled for September 9-11 in Katowice.
Źródło: Bloomberg, Fot. Peteri / Shutterstock
