Steel Methane Programme - Coal Methane Database: Mine Data Sheets for the United States

The UN Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) developed the Steel Methane Programme Coal Methane Database to improve transparency around methane emissions from metallurgical coal mining. The database brings together multiple public and third-party data sources, including bottom-up inventories, scientific studies, satellite and aerial measurements, and company-reported data, to generate probabilistic mine-level methane emissions estimates. This methodology document describes the conceptual framework, data inputs and Bayesian integration model used to produce the database’s mine-level estimates. It explains how IMEO standardizes diverse data sources, incorporates uncertainty, and reports model-derived methane emission intensity estimates for major metallurgical coal mines. The document also sets out key limitations of the current methodology and areas for future development.