Work Plan

Activities
As envisaged by the work plan for 2022-2023 the Group of Experts committed itself to delivering on the following core activities:

• A. Disseminate and facilitate application of best practices for effective methane recovery and use from active and abandoned coal mines through, among other means, activation of existing and creation of new national and international centres of excellence on coal mine methane
• B. Launch and support the work of the International Centres of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane.
• C. Collect and disseminate case studies on the application of BPG in specific coal mines in different regions of the world.
• D. Contribute, in cooperation with other Groups of Experts and under the leadership of the Committee on Sustainable Energy, to the work on integrated methane management in the context of sustainable development.
• E. Further engage, in cooperation with other Groups of Experts and under the leadership of Committee on Sustainable Energy, in the work on transition of the fossil fuels-based energy sector in the ECE region.
• F. Contribute to the work of the Expert Group on Resource Management on United Nations Framework Classification for Resources and United Nations Resource Management System specifications and guidelines for coal-associated gas resources.
• G. Contribute, in cooperation with other Groups of Experts and under the leadership of the Committee on Sustainable Energy, to the project “Enhancing the understanding of the implications and opportunities of moving to carbon neutrality in the ECE region across the power and energy intensive industries by 2050” (Carbon Neutrality Project).
• H. Promote broader inclusiveness of the Group of Experts, giving due attention to gender equality.
• I. Continue to provide advice on coal mine methane related standards to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and other international, national and regional market-based coal mine methane emission reduction mechanisms. Engage and develop robust professional ties with the recognized expert entities operating in the field of fossil-based energy.

Recognizing the fact that the Work Plan for 2022-2023 is ambitious, the Bureau together with the secretariat warmly invite all interested experts to actively engage in its delivery.
 

Upcoming Work Plan 

At its eighteenth session held in Geneva on 20-21 March 2023, the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition adopted a Work Plan for 2024-2025 that is to be submitted for the Committee on Sustainable Energy's approval at its 31st session scheduled for September 2023.
 

Past Work Plans

2016-17

The Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane adopted a Work Plan for 2016-2017 on its 10th Session held on 28 October 2015 in geneva, Switzerland. At its 24th session held in November 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Committee on Sustainable Energy approved the Work Plan of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane for 2016–2017 and extended the Group's mandate until 31 December 2019 with a possibility of further extension.

2018-19

The Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane prepared a Work Plan for 2018-2019 (version in French, version in Russian) through a written procedure and presented to the Committee on Sustainable Energy on its 26th session held in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee approved the request of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane for extension of its mandate until 31 December 2019 and the Work Plan of the Group of Experts for 2018-2019 with a possibility of extension (see paragraph 71 of the Committee's 26th Session Report).

2020-21

The Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane prepared a Work Plan for 2020-2021 (version in French, version in Russian) through a written procedure and presented to the Committee on Sustainable Energy on its 28th session held in September 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee approved the request of the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane for extension of its mandate until 31 December 2021 and the Work Plan of the Group of Experts for 2018-2019 with a possibility of extension (see paragraph 87 of the Committee's 28th Session Report).