Press release January 4, 2024
Recovery of mine gas investigated at the Leopold colliery
Test extraction of mine gas at the former Dorsten colliery site starts in January
Dorsten/Essen. The site of the former Fürst Leopold coal mine in Dorsten will be examined for around four weeks at the beginning of 2024 to ascertain whether it can be developed for the recovery of mine gas as an energy source. The investigation is being carried out by Mingas-Power GmbH, a joint venture between the energy companies RWE and Iqony, which has specialized in the extraction and utilization of mine gas in the Ruhr region for more than twenty years.
Mine gas is a legacy of coal mining in the Ruhr region, which has been completely abandoned since 2018. Its chemical composition includes a high proportion of methane, a colorless, odorless and combustible gas. This makes it suitable for energy recovery through combustion, e.g. in combined heat and power (CHP) plants, which can generate not only electricity but also heat.
“As it is present in the former coal mines, mine gas is to a certain extent a domestic energy source that has played a relevant role in the regional electricity and district heating supply for decades,” says Andreas Brandt, Managing Director of Mingas-Power GmbH.
Contribution to climate protection
When mine gas escapes unburned into the atmosphere, its harmful effect on the climate is around 25 times higher than a comparable amount of CO2 due to its high methane content. “In this respect, the extraction and subsequent combustion of mine gas is also a contribution to climate protection, because although CO2 is produced and released in the process, that CO2 is many times less harmful than the methane that would otherwise be released,” says Andreas Brandt.
Investigation of mine gas potential in Dorsten
Mingas Power is now investigating whether such a measure, which makes sense both economically and climatically, is also worthwhile on the site of the former Fürst Leopold colliery in Dorsten in terms of both quantity and quality: “By testing the mine gas from the shafts of the former Leopold colliery over several weeks, we first intend to clarify whether there is enough mine gas for energy use. We also want to determine whether its chemical composition, and consequently its calorific value, is sufficient,” says Andreas Brandt.
If both questions can be answered in the affirmative at the end of the test phase, the economic feasibility of generating energy from mine gas at the Fürst Leopold site would then be verified in a second step. Given that, it is impossible to say at this stage where a possible CHP plant could be located.
Container used during the investigation is not a long-term solution
The planned location of the container in which the equipment for investigation of the shaft system at the foot of the former winding tower is housed does not in any way influence the location issue to be clarified at a later date. On the contrary, the container will be removed at the end of the test phase.
