Economic use of methane Project
JSW is implementing the Project in 2018-2023.
Hard coal mining is inherently associated with obtaining methane by-product. The rich resources of this raw material in Poland mean that their management is associated with obtaining significant economic benefits, increasing safety in mines and the implementation of the national strategy assuming the further development of a circular economy, i.e. one in which the by-products of one process are used economically in the next.
In 2018, methane from JSW S.A. mines 57% of it was used for the production of electricity, heat or cooling, which means that there is a great potential for further development of this technology.
The aim of the project is to expand the infrastructure enabling JSW to generate electricity using the combustion of excess methane obtained from hard coal in the methane drainage process.
The project concerns the management of methane from the KWK Budryk and KWK Knurów-Szczygłowice mines and the production of energy for the use of these mines, and then other mines owned by JSW. The Project concept does not provide for the sale of electricity outside JSW.
Mining activity is one of the energy-intensive industries, which is primarily associated with a significant mechanization of the production process carried out in a continuous mode with a three-shift system. This means that JSW has a significant demand for electricity at the level of approx. 1 TWh during the year.
Due to JSW's access to significant and stable methane surpluses, it is possible to reduce the costs of purchasing electricity, and to use methane instead of its escape into the atmosphere, which is associated with additional emission costs.