Coal firms in Indonesia overlook methane emissions: energy think tank

Coal firms in Indonesia are overlooking methane emissions, obscuring the full environmental impact of their operations, London-based energy think tank Ember reported on Monday.

Ember analysed the emission profiles of 10 major coal-mining companies in Indonesia, collectively responsible for half of the Southeast Asian country's coal production.

It found that only four of the 10 firms included coal mine methane (CMM) emissions in their emissions inventory, indicating that the environmental impact of coal mining in the country was not being wholly accounted for.

According to Ember’s report, the companies' CMM emissions could exceed 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, more than a third of the companies’ potential total emissions.

The CMM emissions of most major Indonesian coal firms may be on par or greater than their total emissions from fossil fuel combustion and purchased electricity.

CMM, categorized as fugitive emissions or unintentional releases, refers to the methane released when coal is extracted or topsoil is removed.

Methane remains in the atmosphere for only about a decade, but it has a warming effect 28 times greater than CO2 in a period of 100 years. Over a 20-year timescale, methane has a warming impact around 80 times greater than CO2.

Analysts urged Indonesia's coal firms to start taking the impact of methane emissions seriously to meet sustainability standards.