Energy from

coal mine gas

Company and Group
Evonik New Energies GmbH, part of the
Evonik Group, is a European specialist in
decentralized energy supply. The
company has specialized in developing
energy solutions addressing current
climate protection policy, solutions based
on efficient and sustainable concepts and
tailored to customer specifications.
Evoniks networked energy service
ranges from biomass, biogas, and coal
Our services
Planning and preparation
Evaluation
Baseline study
Basic engineering
degasification
Basic engineering
utilization
Feasibility studies
Preparation of
application documents
(PIN, PDD), application
procedure
Monitoring
Registration, validation
and verification
according to Kyoto
Participation
Marketing certificates to third parties,
purchasing for Evoniks own use
Recovery and use:
Our expertise and experience
mine gas to geothermal energy. The Company data
company extracts coal mine gas at more
than a hundred installations in Germanys Evonik Industries AG
Saar and Ruhr regions installations that 2009 turnover: 13.1 billion
generate around 1,230 GWh in electrical 2009 staff numbers: approx. 39,000
power and 366 GWh in heat every year.
Operations in more than 100 countries
One of the worlds largest coal mine gas
motors can be found at the Fenne site. In Evonik New Energies GmbH
total, an annual 345 million nominal 2009 turnover: 248.4 million
cubic meters of coal mine gas are used, 2009 staff numbers: 750
avoiding around 4.6 million tons of CO2
Energy production from
in the process. Evonik New Energies coal mine gas: approx. 187 MWel
markets its expertise in coal mine gas in approx. 140 MWth
Russia, China, Poland and the Ukraine.
Construction Operation Service
Construction and Technology and Servicing
site supervision: commerce Maintenance
Mine gas management Remote
network Power generation monitoring
Vacuum Heat generation
pumping station Cooling
Utilization plant Process,
Heat recovery measuring and
Monitoring control
Process, technology
measuring
and control
technology
Evonik New Energies has more than a Evonik has extensive expertise in boiler
century of experience in recovering and units as well as gas turbines and gas
using coal mine gas. The company plans, motor installations across the whole
constructs, finances and operates plants output range, and combines it with the
utilizing coal mine gas for energy companys mining experience. Experience
production. in emissions trading rounds off our range
of expertise.
 Cross-section

Local heat consumer District heating feed Local power consumers Electrical grid feed

Vacuum pumping station CHP plant

Extraction from abandoned areas

Extraction from mining areas

Basic method for energy generation from coal mine gas

Compression CHP plant Electricity

and drying Grid feed
Direct consumption
down the mine
Direct local
consumption

Heat
District heating feed
Coal mine gas Gas network feed for Direct consumption
Extraction from domestic and industrial down the mine
active mining supply (heat or refrigeration)
Extraction from Direct local
discontinued mines consumption

Coal mining always leads to coal mine
gas, also known as firedamp, which is
released as a byproduct. Handling this
methanerich gas is a complex challenge.
Down in the colliery, coal mine gas is a
serious safety problem; highly explosive
in certain concentrations, the gas is a
danger to miners lives. Safe removal of
the gas by sufficient aeration and efficient
gas extraction is literally a matter of life
or death, preventing mining accidents
and increasing operating times and
productivity as a result.
Its a different story at the surface, with
methane emission reductions towards
protecting our climate as a highpriority
goal. Coal mine gas (CH4) is twentyone
times as damaging to the climate as
carbon dioxide (CO2). However, it can be
put to good use as a source of electricity
and heat in power plants fired by coal
mine gas, and using the gas for energy
generation contributes to reducing CO2
emissions.
Using coal mine gas in corresponding
power plants saves primary energy re
sources and sustainably reduces primary
resource consumption excellent reasons
for systematic and effective utilization of
coal mine gas.
Using coal mine gas!
The benefits
The methane content fluctuates between
thirty and eighty volume percent,
requiring specialized gas motor techno
logy for energy production. Installations
specifically customized for the special
requirements posed by coal mine gas are
capable of generating heat and power at
a total yield of up to 85%. Evonik New
Energies has many years of operating ex
perience in using this form of gas motor
technology.
Benefits in brief
Increasing safety underground
Increasing mine operating times
Increase of coal output
Lower operating expenses
Selfsufficiency in energy
Savings in primary energy sources
Active climate protection:
Carbon credits and additional revenues
Reference projects

Pniowek mine Krupinski mine Ornontowice, power plant

Operating data Operating data Operating data

Cooling output: 5.0 MW Electrical output: 6.6 MW Electrical output: 5 MW

Electrical output: 6.3 MW Thermal output: 7.3 MW Thermal output: 40 MW

Thermal output: 7.0 MW Methane consumption: 12.9 million m3 pa * Methane consumption: 10.3 million m3 pa *

Methane consumption: 13 million m pa *

3
Emission reduction: 192 kt CO2 eqv pa Emission reduction: 154 kt CO2 eqv pa

Emission reduction: 194 kt CO2 eqv pa

Turnkey delivery of a combined heat, Turnkey delivery of two CHP plants Operation of a mine gasfired engine
power and cooling energy plant (coal with methane gasdriven engines for cogeneration plant to supply Budryk
mine gas motors, compression and the Krupinski mine in Poland mine in Poland/Upper Silesia
absorption cooling systems) for air
conditioning of the underground
working of the Pniowek mine in Poland

Fenne, Saar power plant Wellesweiler, Saar power plant Camphausen, Saar power plant

Operating data Operating data Operating data

Electrical output: 42,7 MW Electrical output: 5 MW Electrical output: 2.7 MW

Thermal output: 42,7 MW Thermal output: 27 t/h Dampf Thermal output: 3.0 MW

Methane consumption: 80 million m pa *

3
Methane consumption: 13.5 million m pa *
3
Methane consumption: 5.3 million m3 pa *

Emission reduction: 1,2 million t CO2 eqv pa Emission reduction: 201 kt CO2 eqv pa Emission reduction: 79 kt CO2 eqv pa

Planning, construction and operation of a
mine gasfired engine cogeneration plant
at the Fenne, Saar location
Planning, construction and operation of a
mine gasfired engine cogeneration plant
(gas turbine) in Wellesweiler, Saar
location
Planning, construction and operation of a
mine gasfired engine cogeneration plant
in Camphausen, Saar location
(*) Coal mine gas as 100% CH4
Evonik New Energies GmbH Contact
St. Johanner Strae 101105 Stefan Schneider
66115 Saarbrcken, Germany Head of center of excellence
phone +49 681 9494-00 coal mine gas
fax +49 681 9494-2211 phone +49 681 9494-2910
info-new-energies@evonik.com fax +49 681 9494-0652910
www.evonik.com/new-energies mobile +49 179 9008080
stefan1.schneider@evonik.com
Contact
Bernard A. Tonnelier
Akquisition International
phone +49 681 9494-9734
fax +49 681 9494-0659152
mobile +49 172 6852534
bernard.tonnelier@evonik.com