Important Late-Breaking Expo Developments:
Indian Minister of Environment Jairam Ramesh to Deliver Keynote
Expo's Methane Marketplace To Feature 140+ Projects
With
less than a month before the Methane to Markets 2010 Partnership
Expo begins in New Delhi, momentum continues to build, promising that this
year's event will be the world's largest forum for methane projects, technology,
financing, and policy.
India's Minister of Environment and Forests and Member of the Indian Parliament,
Shri Jairam Ramesh, will deliver the Expo keynote address on 3 March 2010. Mr. Ramesh
is a widely respected political figure and author of a number of government policies
in India's environment, energy, and industrial sectors. He has played a key role
representing India at international climate negotiations.
The Expo's Methane Marketplace will be bustling in New Delhi. In an unprecedented
display of enthusiasm for methane capture opportunities, the Methane Marketplace
will be featuring more than 140 project opportunities and success stories in all
sectors from more than 20 countries.
Don't miss your chance to attend the Expo and take advantage of these exciting opportunities.
The Methane to Markets Administrative Support
Group (ASG) has made the most up-to-date information
on the 2010 Partnership Expo and several resources for attending, traveling,
and participating in this event available online:
Achievements Reported in First Partnership Accomplishments Report
Methane
to Markets has completed its fifth year. To mark this milestone, the ASG compiled
the first Methane to Markets Partnership Accomplishments
2004-2009 (PDF, 52 pp, 2.6 MB) report. This report documents the Partnership's
growth from 14 Partners in 2004 to 31 in 2009 and details the Partnership's successes.
It summarizes Partner and Project Network member collaboration on more than 170
methane capture and use projects and activities. The report provides details on
80 events held by the Partnership in 23 countries, as well as Partnership activities
that generated $84 million in direct project funding and leveraged an additional
$350 million in private financing for capacity building and project development.
It also illustrates how Methane to Markets' projects have not only led to a reduction
of 27 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, but also fostered
international collaboration on important climate and energy developments.
Almost $4 Million in Grants Awarded to International Methane Projects
At the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, the U.S. EPA awarded $3.9 million in funding
to support methane capture and use projects and stimulate clean energy development
across all four Methane to Markets sectors.
Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines,
Poland, and Russia received the awards
,
ranging from $20,000 to $700,000. The projects will include training and capacity
building, development of databases and information clearinghouses for potential
sites, feasibility studies, technology transfer, and project expositions. Since
the Partnership began five years ago, the U.S. EPA has awarded nearly $13 million
in grants to 70 methane emission reduction projects.
Grant Funding Available for Methane Projects in 2010 – 15 April Deadline!
Continuing its commitment to support projects that reduce methane emissions, the
U.S. EPA announced a new round
of grant funding for Methane to Markets projects. Up to 35 projects are
anticipated to receive grants ranging from $100,000 to $750,000, with an estimated
total award of $5 million.
Successful proposals will support the Partnership's goals of reducing methane emissions
and advancing project development in the following Methane to Markets Partner countries:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia,
India, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines,
Poland, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam. Additionally, the U.S. EPA is accepting
proposals from developing countries or countries with economies in transition that
are in the process of applying to join
the Partnership, as long as the ASG receives an acceptable letter of intent
before the proposal deadline. Funded projects are scheduled to begin in October
2010 and extend for up to three years. The U.S. EPA must receive applications no
later than 15 April 2010. Visit the U.S. EPA's
Methane to Markets Web site
for more information.
Global Update on Landfill Gas Events
Methane to Markets
ushered out 2009 and ushered in 2010 with numerous landfill gas (LFG) workshops
and site visits in both Partner and non-Partner countries. These events included
the following:
- Methane to Markets participated in LFG workshops and landfill site visits in Ukraine
and Russia. In Khmelnitsky and Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, Methane to Markets representatives
assisted with workshops focusing on LFG project operations and management for landfill
operators at municipal facilities. In Moscow, organizers held a workshop for municipal
officials, energy developers, and landfill owners to learn about LFG and potential
LFG energy projects. Representatives from the Methane to Markets Partnership also
met with environmental officials in Novokuznetsk, Russia, to discuss ongoing cooperation
on Methane to Markets efforts in the agriculture, coal, and landfill sectors.
- In Manila, Methane to Markets and the Philippines'
Department of Science and Technology
organized a workshop to provide
an overview of LFG energy projects. Methane to Markets and the Thailand Ministry
of Environment's Pollution Control Department co-organized a similar
LFG energy workshop in Bangkok, Thailand.
- In Novi Sad, Serbia, Methane to Markets sponsored
Strategic Waste Management Planning in South Eastern European, Middle East and Mediterranean
Region
,
an ISWA Beacon Conference. U.S. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) presented
on the Methane to
Markets Partnership
and on the basics of LFG and financing an LFG project.
- In Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. EPA's LMOP held its annual
Conference and Project Expo
.
Eight sessions focused on topics such as financing LFG energy projects, technical
issues surrounding LFG energy projects, international activities, and updates on
the impacts of new greenhouse gas and regulatory initiatives. One session was dedicated
to international activities. Ivano Conte from
Pangea Green Energy
presented on "LFGE in Italy and the Philippines—Comparison of Approaches,
Challenges and Lessons Learned." Paul Procee and Charles Peterson from the
World Bank presented on "LFGE Development
by the World Bank in Brazil," and Alex Stege from
SCS Engineers
presented on "LFG Models in Mexico and Ukraine- Improved Estimates of Methane
Emission."
Recent Developments
-
AES Climate
Solutions Enters Partnership to Develop Carbon Reduction Project. In
November 2009,
AES Climate Solutions Asia entered into a partnership
with Shenzhen Dongjiang Environmental Renewable Power Company Ltd. and Songzao Coal
and Electricity Company Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chongqing Energy Investment
Group, to invest, construct, and operate a coal mine ventilation air methane (VAM)
project. This project, located at the Datong Coal Mine in Chongqing Municipality,
will be one of the first commercially operating facilities of its kind in China.
It is expected to start operations by the end of 2010 and eventually reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by up to 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This
partnership is part of the U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program.
-
Gazprom
Holds Environmental Safety Conference. In November 2009,
Gazprom
held a workshop on Environmental Safety
in the Gas Industry
in Moscow, Russia. More than 150 people from 11 countries attended the event, which
focused on how to improve environmental performance in gas systems, with a particular
emphasis on climate change and reducing vented and fugitive methane emissions. The
conference was sponsored by Methane to Markets and the ASG provided a summary of
Methane to Markets' activities in the oil and gas sector.
-
MSW Management
Publishes LFG Article. In the November–December 2009 issue of
MSW Management
,
U.S. EPA LMOP staff published "Working
Internationally to Foster LFG Energy,"
describing work being done internationally to promote LFG projects. The article
describes the importance of bringing industry, national governments, nongovernmental
organizations, and other stakeholders together to remove barriers to the development
of methane reduction projects.
-
New International
Energy Agency Publication. In December 2009, the
International Energy Agency (IEA)
published "Coal Mine Methane
in Russia: Capturing the Safety and Environmental Benefits," (PDF,
70 pp, 2.6 MB)
which discusses the potential for utilizing coal mine methane emissions in Russia.
The report is one of a series of informational papers published by the IEA to highlight
specific opportunities for cost-effective reductions of methane from oil and natural
gas facilities, coal mines, and landfills.
Send in your announcement for our
next issue. Also, visit the news and events page for information
on past Methane to Markets gatherings.