Coal mine methane energy projects in Germany
Green Gas Germany has announced the acquisition of two coal mine methane (CMM) to energy projects in the Ruhr area of Germany. Both projects were previously owned by END-I.
END-I became insolvent end of 2013, after which Green Gas Germany assessed the projects in END-I’s portfolio. The two sites acquired by Green Gas Germany – ‘Lothringen’ and ‘Erin’ – are located on former coal mines outside the residential area of Bochum, 20 km west of Dortmund in the northern part of the Ruhr. The installations drain out methane gas from mines that closed in the 1980s.
Both sites have well-designed gas drainage systems in place, in order to operate combined heat and electricity (CHP) production. These CHPs will have a total estimated installed capacity of 2 MW electrical power. Green Gas Germany is reportedly considering expanding the projects by adding generators that can be fuelled by alternative gas resources.
Even though the CHPs at the Lothringen site are currently shut down, due to low methane gas concentration, Green Gas Germany will be able to restart production and still use the methane by using its patented low methane kit, which enables production using coalmine gas with methane contents below 20%.
Both sites started operation in 2004 and attained sustainable electricity production by mitigating the release of more than 5 million m3/year of hazardous methane gas by turning it into renewable energy. Both projects benefit from the attractive German Renewable Energy System, which guarantees stable electricity prices for a time frame of 20 years.
“This acquisition supports our ambitions to grow actively in Germany and Central Europe. We have all the technical and financial resources to develop these sustainable energy projects” said Joost Knoll, CEO of Green Gas International B.V.
Rainer Bigge, General Manager of Green Gas Germany added: “The projects in Lothringen and Erin enable us to benefit from our in-house developed low methane solution, which increases the life time of projects that have methane contents that are decreasing to 20% and less.”
Adapted from press release by Sam Dodson
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/cbm/22082014/german-firm-acquires-coal-mine-methane-projects-cbm101/
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