Poland International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane 

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) member states produce 38% of the world’s coal and generate 40% of coal mine methane (CMM)¹. As a member of UNECE, Poland committed to curbing CMM emissions through the inauguration of the International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM) in Katowice, Poland on June 8, 2017. The Centre is a non-profit entity established through collaborative efforts between the UNECE, its Group of Experts on CMM and the Global Methane Initiative (GMI). The Polish partners of the ICE-CMM include the Central Mining Institute from Katowice (GIG), Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG), Polish Geological Institute National Research Institute (PIG PIB), and the Oil and Gas Institute National Research Institute (INiG PIB).

Operating within the organizational structure of the Chamber of the Natural Gas Industry², the principal objective of ICE-CMM is to actively support the Group of Experts on CMM in its capacity-building activities through dissemination of best practices for (1) economically viable methane abatement and utilization, (2) socially acceptable underground coal mine practices, and (3) environmentally responsible methane management³. The Centre is expected to contribute to further development and dissemination of the UNECE best practices for effective methane drainage and use in coal mines to reduce overall emissions from coal mining operations (see https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/energy/cmm/docs/BPG_2017.pdf).

Since the opening in 2017, the ICE-CMM in Poland has organized and contributed to important workshops focusing on Best Practices and promoting the economic and environmental value of CMM. The Polish Centre has also translated the Best Practice Guidance document into Polish and led efforts to cooperate with other Centres and CMM-related organizations across transnational boundaries. Other planned activities include, among others:

• Demand-driven capacity-building workshop with a technical program that promotes gas drainage and use.
• Seminars on practical application of best practices focused on two different coal mining regions, and intended to serve professionals and policy makers from States where coal mining does not constitute a major segment of the economy.
• Addendum to the Best Practice Guidance document reviewing best practices in effective methane drainage and use in Polish conditions, and providing a number of case studies on implementation of such practices in operating coal mines in Poland as well as in other countries cooperating with ICE.
• Participation in the 14th Annual Session of the Group of Experts on CMM Geneva in November of 2019.⁴

For additional information on the Poland ICE-CMM visit this UNECE link, and for information on other ICEs on CMM visit this UNECE link.