Drilling and hydrofracturing will be carried out in the part of the deposit that has not been previously mined and the boreholes will be used to capture methane. - This is a classic pre-mining methane drainage and if the results obtained in this project are satisfactory, we will continue the project in other locations - says Artur Dyczko, Vice-President of the JSW Management Board for Strategy and Development. - We are working on increasing depths in the JSW mines, so the methane hazard will increase. On the one hand, it is a valuable energy resource, but it is also extremely harmful for the environment. That is why we are taking diverse measures in various areas to ensure safety of our crews, minimize the outflow of methane to the atmosphere and maximize the economic use of the gas we capture - adds the Vice-President.
Methane drainage from the rock mass is one of the strategic technical processes, which are decisive for the possibility to mine coal, because it is the most effective way of fighting methane hazard. In 2018 only, approximately 400 million cubic meters of methane were released in JSW mines, out of which more than 130 million cubic meters were captured, mainly from mine workings during the mining of coal. The efficiency of methane drainage of mines is just slightly over 30 percent. Pre-mining methane drainage is an opportunity to change this, by capturing the gas before the works opening the deposit commence.
This is not the end of investments in methane, since JSW SA is the leader in the economic utilization of methane. Within two years, electricity generated by gas engines is to increase fivefold, from the current 87 GWh to 435 GWh after 2022. Such gas engines are working, among others, in KWK Budryk and KWK Knurów-Szczygłowice. Methane may also be used for the production of chill. In KWK Pniówek for example, in 2018 methane was used to produce 140 thousand megawatthours of electricity and approx. 400 gigajoules of heat. This means that the capture of gas from the mine methane drainage system and ventilation air improves energy efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while also reducing methane hazards in mines.
Additionally, in December in January 60 people will be trained in the operation of methane drainage stations. In early 2020, the Company will acquire full control over the methane drainage stations and pipelines networks in all of its mines, that were previously operated by external companies selected in tenders every few years. Now the gas infrastructure will be modernized and the metering system for captured methane is already being expanded. Consequently, the Company will gain full control over the operation of methane drainage stations and distribution of the gas. JSW has also been implementing the visualization project of the methane drainage network in underground mining pits. It will consist of several dozen metering points, which will provide insight in the capture of gas from all the operating areas, while oversight will be conducted centrally through the Sophisticated Data Research Center. It is an innovative project, which will be implemented using modern metering devices. It will enable prompt reaction in the event of any adverse changes in methane capture and thus it will significantly improve the safety of mining crews.
