The U.S. Government's Methane to Markets Partnership Accomplishments
Climate change is a serious environmental challenge that requires a global response. Methane is a potent green-house gas (GHG), second only to carbon dioxide in its contribution to climate change. It is of particular strategic importance given its atmospheric properties and the suite of currently available, cost-effective reduction options (see box on page 5). As such, focusing mitigation efforts on methane can yield near-term climate impacts along with major economic, air quality, and energy benefits.
The United States and 13 other countries formed the Methane to Markets Partnership in 2004. The goal of the Partnership is to help reduce methane emissions quickly and cost-effectively through a collaborative, multilateral framework that unites public and private interests to fight climate change by advancing the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source. By engaging public and private sector parties, Methane to Markets brings together the technical and market expertise, financing, and technology necessary for methane capture and use project development.
The Partnership focuses on developing projects in four major methane emissions source areas: agriculture, coal mines, landfills, and oil and gas systems. In each of these sectors, cost-effective methane emission reduction technologies and practices are currently available to capture and use the methane gas as a fuel for electricity generation, on-site energy needs, or off-site gas sales. However, despite the availability of proven technologies and the understanding of associated environmental and financial benefits, methane recovery and use projects are not yet the global norm. In many countries, financial, institutional, informational, regulatory, and other barriers have impeded the adoption of methane recovery technologies. Methane to Markets is working to identify and address these barriers in order to combat climate change and deliver clean energy to markets all around the world.
Origins and Structure of the Methane to Markets Partnership
The Methane to Markets Partnership is modeled on the United States' suite of domestic methane emission reduction programs. Since 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has operated four highly successful public-private partnerships to reduce the market barriers to methane emissions project development in the United States: AgSTAR, the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP), the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), and Natural Gas STAR. These programs have engaged stakeholders, disseminated information, and catalyzed partnerships to remove barriers to project development and achieve significant on-the-ground results for more than a decade. As of 2007, they have helped to reduce annual U.S. methane emissions from the target source to 14 percent below 1990 levels. The desire to share the success of these program models along with the clear opportunity to implement methane projects globally was a major force behind the formation of the Methane to Markets Partnership.
Using a similar approach to the U.S. domestic methane programs, Methane to Markets brings together industry, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), national governments, and other stakeholders to advance project development around the world. The Partnership is structured around the Steering Committee, the Administrative Support Group (ASG), or secretariat, four subcommittees, and the Project Network (see Figure 1). The Steering Committee guides the work of the Partnership and is supported by the ASG, which is currently housed at EPA. The subcommittees (Agriculture, Coal Mines, Landfills, and Oil and Gas Systems) are responsible for the technical work in each of the Partnership's target sectors. Each subcommittee operates as a partnership of government representatives and Project Network members.
Improving Livestock Waste Management in Southeast Asia
Since 2004, EPA and the World Bank have supported improved livestock waste management projects in Southeast Asia. The World Bank has provided $21 million to China, Thailand, and Vietnam to develop affordable methods to help control pollution at livestock waste management facilities. As part of this program, EPA has provided financial support for demonstration projects, reviewed all technical aspects of livestock waste management programs, and begun developing sustainable policies to foster the replicating of and support for pollution control technologies, such as anaerobic digesters, over the long term. Individual countries are sharing their approaches to technical demonstrations, measuring impacts, and developing regional support infrastructure. Through the deployment of anaerobic digestion technologies and land application of waste to crops, these initiatives are mitigating water pollution from confined swine production while achieving other environmental and human health benefits. To date, six projects are in operation in China, three in Vietnam, and one in Thailand. A number of other projects are currently in the planning or construction phases.
Livestock Waste Management and Emissions Reductions in China
Dengdaming Pig Farm is a project demonstration site located in Changning Township in Guangdong Province, a major livestock production region in China approximately 90 kilometers from the provincial capital of Guangzhou. This farrow-to-finish swine farm has a standing pig population of 3,000, a typical number for swine farms in this region. An up-flow anaerobic digester with a separate floating type gas storage recovers gas to power a 60-kilowatt engine generator and produces electricity for 12 hours a day. The Chinese are also starting to demonstrate digesters that combine gas production with gas storage in factory fabricated steel tanks. These technical elements reduce costs and are critical in China's replication strategy.
International Protocol for Anaerobic Digestion
EPA is developing an international protocol to evaluate the environmental performance of anaerobic digestion systems. Currently, comparison of various anaerobic digestion technologies is difficult because system data have not been collected following a standardized methodology. The ability to compare different system design approaches with respect to biogas production, waste stabilization, and cost effectiveness on a uniform basis has been lacking. The purpose of this protocol is to provide a standardized method to evaluate different anaerobic digestion technologies and allow for comparison of the technologies. EPA assembled a panel the protocol in order to assure its applicability to systems used in different regions around the world. The final protocol was completed in September 2009.
Methane gas released from coal mining activities can be captured and used as a clean energy source, resulting in reduced GHG emissions, improved air quality, and enhanced mine safety. In 2005, global methane emissions from coal mines were estimated to be nearly 400 MMTCO2E. The United States is a leader in CMM recovery and continues to work with international partners through Methane to Markets to share information, expertise, and technology to promote CMM project development. In this reporting year, the U.S. government has supported these initiatives with more than $2.2 million in funding. Major activities from this sector are summarized below. Supporting Technology Demonstration Projects in China and Poland EPA is supporting demonstration projects to showcase cutting-edge technologies to recover and use CMM. In Poland, EPA is sponsoring a project to study and demonstrate a technology that converts CMM to liquefied natural gas (LNG). In China, EPA is supporting a project to evaluate and demonstrate the use of diluted methane emissions from underground mine ventilation systems (also known as ventilation air methane or VAM) using a new technology, a monolithic catalytic combustor, at a Chinese coal mine.
Building Capacity and Overcoming
Informational Barriers in India and China
One significant barrier to developing effective CMM recovery and use projects is the lack of information about specific coal mine project opportunities and available technologies and practices. To help project developers overcome these barriers, the United States is supporting several initiatives to increase the flow of information and foster in-country technical expertise.
In India, which is currently the world's third-largest coal producer, EPA, USTDA, and the government of India established a CMM/Coalbed Methane (CBM) Clearinghouse. India's Ministry of Coal and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas manage the clearinghouse. In 2008, EPA and USTDA organized a kickoff event to inaugurate this work in Ranchi, India, and EPA has continued to provide technical training and funding. India's coal production is predicted to increase dramatically in the near future, and CMM emissions are expected to increase as well unless methane recovery and utilization projects are implemented.
Identifying Methane Emission Reduction Opportunities in Russia
Russia is a significant emitter of methane from oil and gas operations because of its large oil and gas operations. As Russian natural gas production continues to grow, identifying opportunities to reduce emissions is increasingly important. Several companies in Russia, including Gazprom, have begun to monitor or mitigate methane emissions from their systems. EPA and Battelle Memorial Institute, an international science and technology enterprise that explores emerging areas of science, have launched a project to work with Russia on methane mitigation in the Russian oil and gas sector. The project focuses on three main areas:
Exchanging technical information on approaches to reducing methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.
Developing a network of contacts in Russia to enhance awareness of methane identification and mitigation opportunities in the natural gas sector.
Promoting technology transfer and investigating opportunities to develop methane mitigation projects in the Russian oil and natural gas sector.
In October 2008, Gazprom, VNIIGAZ (Gazprom's research institute) and EPA, with technical support from Battelle Memorial Institute, held a technology transfer workshop on methane mitigation in the natural gas and oil sectors in Moscow. The workshop focused on exchanging detailed technical information on proven, cost-effective technologies and practices to reduce methane emissions. Participants also visited a Russian compressor station to view several state-of-the-art technologies that detect and measure methane leaks.
The rationale for engaging in methane mitigation activities has never been stronger: a growing body of research demonstrates how the combined benefits from climate change mitigation and improvements in local air and water quality along with increasing demand for energy are building a market for recovered methane. For the past five years, the Methane to Markets Partnership has supported the development of more than 170 projects, helped dismantle barriers to project development, and promoted projects that complement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC's) flexibility mechanisms. Under the Obama administration, the U.S. government is continuing to promote the Partnership's success, urging more robust action on reducing methane emissions and stronger financial commitments to the Partnership, continuing to engage the private sector, and ensuring that Methane to Markets evolves in a manner that is supportive to the UNFCCC. In particular, the United States will focus on several key areas:
Renewing the Methane to Markets' Temps of Reference (TOR). The United States, in its role as Chair of the Methane to Markets Steering Committee, will lead the process of developing a new Methane to Markets'TOR, setting the stage for future growth of the Partnership. The United States is committed to ensuring that the second TOR includes expanded and robus commitments to the Partnership to accelerate the pace of methane emission reduction project development.
Organizing the 2010 Partnership Expo. The United States is pleased to be playing a leadership role in the upcoming Partnership Expo, which will take place on 2 - 5 March 2010 in New Delhi, India. The first Expo proved to be an effective way to match project development opportunities with relevant skills and resources. In New Delhi and beyond, the U.S. government agencies will aggressively promote partnerships to bring methane recovery opportunities to fruition.
Providing Expanded Technical Assistance and Financial Support for Project Development in All Four Methane to Markets Sectors. The United States will continue its active support for methane reductions in all four sectors of the Partnership. Since the beginning of the Partnership, the United States has provided funding in excess of $40 million, with $10.4 million in FY 2008 alone. Several U.S. agencies will continue to conduct training, provide grants, and support pre-feasibility and feasibility studies in all Methane to Markets sectors, including ones that may be added through the TOR renewal process.
The actions of Methane to Markets Partners and Project Network members have resulted in real GHG reductions and elevated awareness among climate policymakers around the world of the importance of methane in the fight against climate change. The U.S. government is proud of the Partnership's collective achievements, which demonstrate that developed and developing countries, along with the private sector, can work together to effectively mitigate climate change in the near term.