On 24 July, the Chair of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition, Mr. Raymond Pilcher, and the Secretary of the Group, Mr. Michal Drabik participated in the technical session dedictaed to coal mine methane at the 47th International Technical Conference on Clean Energy that take place (23 to 27 July 2023) in Clearwater, Florida, USA
Over the four days he Clearwater Clean Energy Conference offered participants approximately 180 technical presentations.
The session to which representatives of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition contributed was titled Coal Mine Methane - Measurement and Mitigation, and it was moderated by Mr. Evan Granite from the U.S. Department of Energy, and Ms. Melanie Mackay from the faculty of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
The presentation delivered by Mr. Pilcher and Mr. Drabik (please see below) offered an overview of the work of the Group of Experts. It discussed the Group’s composition, mandate, objectives, and activities. Attention was given to the 3 main workstreams of the Group, namely: safe operations and closure of mines, methane emissions reduction, and transition of the coal sector. Focusing on methane, the presentation examined the 3 aspects of the Group’s work: environmental, economic, and working safety. The Group’s approach advocating for addressing methane emissions along the whole coal value chain and throughout the whole mine life cycle was presented. An important link between methane management and just transition in the context of the ongoing and future changes of the coal mining sector was also explained. Finally, the Group’s vision of just transition was discussed, touching upon the often overlooked cultural aspect of the process. The presentation was followed by an Q&A session allowing the audience to engage with the speakers and discuss in more detail issues of particular interest to the session’s participants.