Coal Mine Methane, US: ALPHA CGR, Pennsylvania

, Operating

The Alpha Coal Gas Recovery (“Alpha CGR”) project is a CMM abatement facility located near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, US on Alpha’s Emerald and Cumberland Coal Mines. This is the first CMM project operating on an active underground mine to be validated using CDM’s ACM008 methodology. The project was validated with the Voluntary Carbon Standard in September 2010, and is expected to generate 3.1 million VCUs over its life.

The Alpha CGR project involves pre-mine degasification of the coal seam, with the extracted gas being processed and delivered to a pipeline. The gas is extracted to the surface, compressed and undergoes early stage pre-treatment at the wellhead. A vast network of gas accumulation pipework transports the gas to a central processing plant with a capacity of approximately 10 MMCF per day. At the processing plant, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are removed from the gas stream, increasing the quality to pipeline specifications. The gas is then sold to a gas transmission company for delivery to end-users.

Sindicatum has an advisory role on this project and manages the validation and verification processes as well as provides advice regarding the monetization of Alpha’s credit portfolio.