Coal Mine Methane
About Coal Mine Methane
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The Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane (CMM) is a subsidiary body of the Committee on Sustainable Energy (CSE) that promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from coal mines. Its activities on recovery and use of methane reduce the risks of explosions in coal mines.
The principal activity of the Group of Experts on CMM is development and dissemination of the Best Practice Guidance for Effective Methane Drainage and Recovery in Coal Mines (for the updated version please click here). Read more
IN FOCUS
UNECE Coal Mine Methane seminar organized by the UNECE Groups of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and on Cleaner Electricity Production will be delivered in cooperation with the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) within the framework of the Global Methane Forum on 16 April 2018 in Toronto, Canada.
Workshop Coal Mine Methane as a Valuable Energy Source organised by the UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane, the International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane in Poland (ICE-CMM Poland), and the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) was delivered within the framework of the School of Underground Mining on 28 February 2018, in Cracow, Poland.
HIGHLIGHTS

The opening ceremony of the International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM) in China took place within the framework of the 19th International Mining Congress of China and was followed by a short workshop organized by the Shanxi Coking Coal Group Co Ltd (SCCG), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the Global Methane Initiative (GMI)

The International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM) was officially inaugurated in Katowice, Poland. The Centre is conceived as a non-profit entity established and operating under the auspices of, and in close collaboration with, UNECE and its Group of Experts on CMM.
News
- Opening of the International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM) in Poland – safer mining, cleaner environment, and efficient resource use. On 8 June 2017, the first ICE-CMM was officially inaugurated in Katowice, Poland
- In January 2018 the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane will start implementation of the second phase of the extrabudgetary project on Dissemination of best practices in the abatement, recovery, and use of methane, funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
- New Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane in China will help to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of coal mining and enhance safety. On 19 May 2017 UNECE and the Shanxi Coking Coal Group Ltd. (SCCG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that provides a basis for establishing an International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM) in China, which is expected to become operational in 2018.
- Despite the importance of coal to India’s economy, up until recently the issue of the effective management of coal mine methane (CMM) has not been given adequate attention. To increase the visibility of the issue and capture the attention of local stakeholders, the UNECE Group of Experts on CMM organized an International Workshop on Best Practices in Methane Drainage and Use in Coal Mines in Ranchi, India, 9-10 March.
- The updated version of the Best Practice Guidance on Effective Methane Drainage and Use in Coal Mines has been released.
- Managing methane emissions from energy-related extractive activities is a win-win for delivering on the global promises on climate change and sustainable development: this is the key message delivered by UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach in his keynote address to the Global Methane Forum in Washington D.C. on 30 March 2016. Read more>