New analysis from think tank Ember, in collaboration with 2Celsius, reveals that Romania does not have plans in place to address the climate-damaging methane emissions associated with hard coal mining. By next year, this will make Romania out of compliance with new EU methane rules, risking EU climate targets.

The EU Methane Regulation, approved in May, will require EU countries and the fossil fuel industry to measure,  and report their methane emissions and reduce them. This includes the coal industry, the largest emitter of methane emissions in EU energy production. However, Ember’s analysis reveals that Romania produced approximately 200,000 tonnes of hard coal in the most recent year with data available (2022), but does not have plans in place to address the methane associated with this.

“Romania’s coal production comes at a high cost to climate,” said Ember analyst Dr. Sabina Assan. “When new EU rules come into effect, Romania will need to rapidly address this or face penalties.”

Methane-intensive mining

Romania’s state-owned hard coal company, Jiu Valley Energy Complex (CEVJ), extracted the hard coal analysed by Ember. The mines operated by CEVJ are old underground mines, which are highly methane emitting relative to the amount of coal they produce. Ember’s analysis finds that the coal produced by these mines is an average of three times more methane-emitting than the EU limit that will be introduced in 2027 (14.9 tonnes of methane per kiloton of coal vs. the impending limit of 5).

Romania has set a coal closure target for 2030, but national plans recommend the continuation of coal production until then, and fail to detail plans for methane management. CEVJ has signalled its intention to continue coal extraction, even increasing production this year with plans to raise extraction from 500 tonnes of coal per day in early January 2024 to 2000 tonnes per day for June.

Methane management needs to be taken seriously to hit EU climate targets

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, continues to grow at record rates and is responsible for about 47% of the observed warming globally from 2010-2019. While methane can also be emitted from agriculture and other sources, coal mining is the largest source of methane leaks among the Romanian energy sector.

To address the climate impact from methane, the EU introduced new rules in May called the EU Methane Regulation. This will require EU countries, as well as coal exporters to the EU, to adopt stringent monitoring, reporting, and verification of methane emissions. The regulation also mandates mitigation measures for fossil fuel operators.

The requirements for the regulation will come into effect over the next five years. By June 2025, Romania and other EU countries must adhere to certain transparency and reporting requirements. By July 2027, a limit will be in place on the maximum methane intensity of coal being mined. There will also be requirements for closed mines, which can continue to emit methane at high levels.

Romania should prioritise coal mine methane capture

Romania has the largest emissions from closed coal mines in the EU. However, currently only 0.2% of the methane emitted from active and closed underground mines in Romania was utilised, according to 2019 data, despite the fact that there are technologies available to make use of this type of methane for heating or electricity.

“Capturing and utilising methane from Romania’s closed coal mines is not only feasible with current technologies, but also cost effective,” said Mihai Stoica, Executive Director of 2Celcius. “By putting plans and funding in place Romania can mitigate emissions to reach its 2030 decarbonization targets, contribute to its commitments under the Global Methane Pledge, avoid penalties under the EU Methane Regulation and address energy security.”