1321 9. CONCLUSIONS 1. Reducing atmospheric methane emissions, a key element of the global greenhouse balance, has been identified as the most effective short-term climate policy goal. The sector energy has the greatest potential for rapid and cost-effective reduction of methane emissions, constituting 72% reduction possibility by 2030 2. Poland ranks 43rd with methane emissions of 1.5 million tonnes for 2024 in the world ranking of 223 methane-emitting countries and 5th place, for France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain, among European countries. In the world ranking of countries by coal mine methane emissions, Poland ranks 9th, with estimated emissions of 0.7 million tonnes (May 2025). 3. The downward trend in methane emissions in Poland has continued for over 30 years, with a doubling since 1988. Methane emissions from the energy sector account for 51.4% of total emissions. In the energy sector, methane emissions from coal mines account for 35.7%. 4. Currently, hard coal mining in Poland is carried out in 19 mines, 11 of which is a highly methane mine. The volume of methane emissions from mines into the atmosphere has been declining for several years. In 2024, it amounted to 530.6 million m3/year, consisting of emissions from ventilation shafts of 446.3 million m3/year (84.1%) and emissions from methane drainage stations equal to 86.3 million m3/ year (15.9%), with a methane management efficiency of 69.4%. 5. The methane emission factors from ventilation shafts determined for mine operators for 2024 were: - Polish Mining Group SA - 4.9997 t CH4/1000 t of mined coal, - Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa SA - 6.707 t CH4/1000 t of mined coal, - Southern Coal Concern SA - 4.311 t CH4/1000 t mined coal, - PG „Silesia” SA - 5.483 t CH4/1000 t mined coal. The future permissible emission thresholds for methane from ventilation shafts, as set out in Regulation (EU) 2024/1787, indicate that the Polish hard coal mining industry faces a significant challenge in reducing methane emissions to the atmosphere. 6. The main potential for reducing methane emissions into the atmosphere in Polish hard coal mining is increasing the efficiency of methane drainage, including the development of cogeneration systems, implementation of pilot VAM installations and the use of satellite monitoring of emissions. Directions such as these are reflected in methane strategies formulated by Polish coal companies. 7. Polish coal companies with scientific and research units concentrated in international consortia carry out many innovative research and development projects seeking effective solutions that offer the opportunity to reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere from coal mines. 8. Poland has the potential to become one of the leaders in reducing methane emissions, particularly in the carbon sector, thanks to a combination of practical experience, scale of operation and scientific background. 10. REFERENCES 1. Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions - EDGAR_2025_GHG (EDGAR CH4) 2. National Inventory Report 2025. Inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in Poland for 1988-2023 (www.kobize.pl) 3. EURACOAL statistics. Coal and lignite production and imports in Europe (https://euracoal.eu/) 4. https://vampire.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/vampire_prezentacja.pdf 5. https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2025#p1 (Fig. No 1) 6. www.kobize.pl - 57_NID_2025_synthetic_report_PL PDF (Fig no 2) 7. https://public.euracoal.eu/download/Public-Archive/Library/Charts-Maps/Coal-inEurope/EURACOAL-Coal-in-Europe-2024-02.pdf (Fig. No 3) 8. https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-methane-emitters-tracker/summary-tables/ 9. https://vampire.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/vampire_prezentacja.pdf 10. https://www.wug.gov.pl/.
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