Two years of satellite observations were used to quantify methane emission from coal mines in Queensland, the largest coal-producing state in Australia. The six analyzed surface and underground coal mines are estimated to emit 570+/-98 Gg a-1 in 2018-2019. Together, they account for 7% of the national coal production, while emitting 55+/-10% of the reported methane emission from coal mining in Australia. Our results indicate that for two of the three locations our satellite-based estimates are significantly higher than reported to the Australian government. Most remarkably, 40% of the quantified emission came from a single surface mine (Hail Creek) located in a methane-rich coal basin. Our findings call for increased monitoring and investment in methane recovery technologies for both surface and underground mines.
@article{arxiv.2106.10457,
title = {Methane Emissions from Super-emitting Coal Mines in Australia quantified using TROPOMI Satellite Observations},
author = {Pankaj Sadavarte and Sudhanshu Pandey and Joannes D. Maasakkers and Alba Lorente and Tobias Borsdorff and Hugo Denier van der Gon and Sander Houweling and Ilse Aben},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.10457},
year = {2021}
}