Recommendations on coal mine methane for Indonesia’s Second NDC

Indonesia is currently developing the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (SNDC) which will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Ember appreciates the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF)’s efforts to gather suggestions and inputs from various stakeholders in the preparation of this Second NDC. Based on the public consultation held by the MoEF on August 20, 2024, Ember has prepared several recommendations, specifically related to coal mine methane (CMM) emissions. 

In 2021, the Government of Indonesia signed the Global Methane Pledge (GMP), a global agreement to reduce methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030. Methane is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential up to 30 times higher than carbon dioxide. Indonesia, as one of the largest coal producers in the world, releases substantial amounts of methane from the coal mining industry.

Thorough estimation and reporting is required to formulate effective strategies and policies to address methane emissions. Here are several inputs for the formulation of the Second NDC, Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) as well as other relevant documents: 

1. Recalculate coal mine methane emissions
2. Incorporate additional emissions from underground coal mines
3. Develop region-specific emission factors for coal mine methane
4. Commit to integrating direct measurement in underground coal mines
5. Commit to enforcing company-led emission reporting of coal mine methane
6. Implementation of methane mitigation across surface and underground coal mines
7. Limit coal expansion to ensure sustainability of the industry and prepare for a future just transition

Authored by Dody Setiawan, Ember’s Senior Analyst Climate and Energy – Indonesia.

Supporting materials

Downloads

The full submission, sent on 30th August 2024 to the Directorate General of Climate Change at Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, is available in the download section.