India's coal mines' methane emissions tripled from the officially reported emissions to UNFCCC

India's coal mines have seen a massive increase in methane emissions, according to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The report highlights India as the third-largest emitter of methane from coal mines globally in 2023.

The impact of these methane emissions is substantial, equating to a short-term climate impact equivalent to 237.6 million tonnes of CO2. To contextualize, this is more than double the combined annual CO2 emissions from all vehicles on India's roads in 2019.

Bandish Patel, Senior Climate and Energy Analyst for India at the energy think tank Ember, emphasized the critical need for action. He mentioned that despite being a significant source of methane emissions globally, coal mining has not received adequate attention in India.

"Despite being a significant source of methane emissions globally, coal mining has so far been ignored and overlooked in India," said Patel.

The IEA's Methane Tracker report reveals that India's coal mines emitted 2.8 million tonnes of methane in 2023, which is more than triple the officially reported emissions to the UNFCCC (0.8 million tonnes in 2019).

Patel highlighted, "This difference stems from the use of varying methodologies," and he further added, "We aren't claiming which estimate is definitive, but this discrepancy underscores the uncertainty surrounding coal mine methane (CMM) estimates due to these methodological variations."

India's coal mines methane emissions tripled

The impact of these methane emissions is substantial, equating to a short-term climate impact equivalent to 237.6 million tonnes of CO2. To contextualize, this is more than double the combined annual CO2 emissions from all vehicles on India's roads in 2019.

"India could reduce up to 0.9 million tonnes of coal mine methane through interventions like methane capture and utilization, flaring methane, VAM oxidization, and improving combustion efficiency," highlighted Patel.

"Currently, there are no policies in place or proposed to address methane emissions from coal mines in India," Patel lamented. He further emphasized, "Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with a significant short-term impact (82.5x stronger than CO2 over 20 years), making immediate action to reduce methane emissions crucial."

Despite the alarming figures, the IEA emphasizes that no major technological breakthroughs are needed to reduce these emissions significantly. Cost-effective measures can reduce more than half of coal mine methane emissions in India, amounting to 0.9 million tonnes, which would have a climate impact equivalent to avoiding 80 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

India's coal mines have been absent from recent global commitments to reduce emissions, and the country is among the top 10 coal mine methane emitters globally that have not signed the Global Methane Pledge. This situation is concerning given the potential for substantial emissions reductions in the coal sector.

Bandish Patel, Senior Climate and Energy Analyst for India at the energy think tank Ember, highlighted the critical need for action. He mentioned that despite being a significant source of methane emissions globally, coal mining has not received adequate attention in India.

He said, “Despite being a significant source of methane emissions, coal mining has so far been ignored and overlooked in India. India is one of six countries responsible for close to 90% of the world’s coal mine methane emissions. The planned increase of India's domestic coal production to 1.5 billion tonnes and potential tripling of underground mining output to 100 million tonnes could further lead to a substantial increase in methane emissions, making immediate action to reduce methane emissions crucial.”

High methane levels require reduction

In 2023, methane emissions from the energy sector, especially from fossil fuels and bioenergy, remained alarmingly high, nearing a record level. However, recent policy announcements and commitments following the COP28 climate summit offer hope for reversing this trend.

"On the policy front, currently there are no policies in place or proposed to address methane emissions from coal mines in India," Patel lamented. He further emphasized, "Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with a significant short-term impact (82.5x stronger than CO2 over 20 years), making immediate action to reduce methane emissions crucial."

According to the IEA's Global Methane Tracker update, fossil fuel-related methane emissions reached nearly 120 million tonnes in 2023, with an additional 10 million tonnes from bioenergy sources, mainly traditional biomass use for activities like cooking.

The top 10 emitting countries accounted for about 80 million tonnes of fossil fuel-related methane emissions, highlighting the need for targeted actions in these regions. The United States, Russia, and China lead in emissions from oil, gas, and coal sectors, respectively.

Satellite observations have been instrumental in identifying methane leaks, including significant emissions from fossil fuel-related activities. The report notes a substantial rise in major fossil fuel leaks in 2023 compared to the previous year, totaling over 5 million tonnes of emissions, with notable incidents like a prolonged well blowout in Kazakhstan.

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