Understanding CDM Methodologies - SuSanA

5.6 .3 ACM0008
Description of the current version of the methodology
Only Methane
from operating
underground
Mines
Collection
and Transport
Equipment for
CMM
NMHC Emissions
only covered if
more than 1% of
CMM Volume
Baseline Scenario
Options
Ex-ante Projection
of CMM must be
available
Emission
Reduction based
on Difference of
GWP of unburnt
and burnt
Methane
Engineering Study
for Methane
Demand in
Baseline Scenario
or Statistical
Projection based
on 5 Year Data
Applicability conditions: ACM0008 (version 03) is applicable to projects
that capture and destroy coal mine methane (CMM) and/or extract coal
bed methane (CBM) before mining at currently operating or newly built
underground coal mines. It is not applicable to closed mines or to utilization
of CBM from seams that will not be mined in the foreseeable future.
Project boundary: The spatial extent of the project boundary includes the
equipment installed and used for the extraction, compression, and storage
of CMM and CBM at the project site, and transport to an off-site user, as
well as flares or engines for electricity/heat generation, and the power plants
connected to the grid serving the coal mine. Only CBM wells that are within
a three-dimensional “zone of influence” of the mined area are part of the
project. Within the project boundary, project participants shall only account
for CO 2
emissions from the combustion of non methane hydrocarbons
(NMHCs), if they represent more than 1% by volume of the extracted coal
mine gas.
Baseline scenario and additionality: The baseline scenario is the most
economically viable or the lowest emissions-intensive of the following
options: venting, flaring, heat and power generation or feeding into gas
pipelines. The option chosen also should not face prohibitive barriers and
must be technically feasible to handle CBM and CMM to comply with safety
regulations. Data must be available to provide ex-ante projections of methane
demand over the crediting period and must be disaggregated according to
the phases of methane recovery (CBM prior to mining, underground premining
CMM drainage, surface or underground post mining CMM drainage,
drainage from sealed goafs before the mine is closed).
Additionality of the project shall be demonstrated by application of the latest
version of the “Tool for the demonstration and assessment of additionality”
(additionality tool) to the selected baseline scenario.
Emission reductions: Methane venting releases 21 t CO 2
per t of methane
whereas combustion only releases 2.75 t CO 2
per t of methane. Emissions
from flaring are calculated according to the “Tool to determine project
emissions from flaring gases containing methane”. Methane oxidation
factors are taken from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories as 99.5% for heat and power generation and
98.5% for feeding into gas grids.
Methane demand for heat generation in the baseline scenario has to be
estimated on the basis of an engineering/economic study describing the
current distribution system, identifying CMM/CBM users, their consumption
rates, expected growth rates of users and gas grid expansion plans. If there
is no information on the existing distribution system, a statistical projection
based on CMM/CBM availability and thermal energy CMM/CBM usage rates
over at least the past five years can be used. If less than five years of data are
available, the maximum existing pipeline capacity will be used as proxy for
demand.
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