New data on methane emissions in Poland is now available on energy.instrat.pl. Our new section presents 13 charts that explain how methane from the coal sector affects the country’s climate footprint, why Poland stands out in the EU, and which mining companies and units emit the most. The charts move from the European and national context to mine-level detail, uncovering trends in methane management, regulatory risks, and the pace of mitigation efforts in the coal industry.
The “Methane emissions in Poland” page features 13 charts exploring the topic, focusing on the sector that is its largest source – coal mining. The visualizations are grouped into four categories (tabs), moving from general (national and EU) to detailed (individual mine data).
Below we summarize the key findings, presented as extended commentaries to the charts.
Poland’s methane emissions
In Poland’s methane emissions profile, the energy sector, especially mining, dominates. This is unusual in the EU context, where agriculture comes first, followed by waste management, and only then the energy and extractive sectors. Mining contributes significantly to both Poland’s and the EU’s climate footprint due to methane emissions. Poland accounts for 62% of methane emissions from mining in the EU.
Mines pay pennies for the methane they emit – just 0.008% of the lowest estimated social cost of these emissions. It is the cheapest solution. The alternatives are flaring (burning methane in flares, reducing it to carbon dioxide) and investment in methane abatement technologies. Flaring is a common practice outside of the EU, however here, it would trigger CO₂ emission costs under EU ETS.
Emissions from coal mining sector
Only about one-fourth of methane from Polish mines is utilized commercially, and this share is growing very slowly – a problem also highlighted recently by the Supreme Audit Office (NIK). While 84% of emissions come from mine ventilation systems, there are almost no efforts to use ventilation air methane (VAM), despite proven technologies being applied successfully in countries like China and the U.S.
As coal production declines, methane emissions are falling, but at a slower rate than production. This is due to exploitation of increasingly methane-rich coalbeds, reflected in the rising emission intensity per each tonne of coal. The methane intensity of mines must be taken into account during the transition process.
Major emitters of methane in hard coal mining
Two companies – Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW) and Polska Grupa Górnicza (PGG) – account for 90% of methane emissions from the mining sector. Steam coal mines’ emissions (concerning PGG) are now fully regulated under the upcoming EU Methane Regulation. What is missing is the full regulation of emissions from coking coal mines, which leaves most of the emissions of JSW unregulated.
In recent years, PGG’s emissions have decreased, while JSW’s have remained relatively stable. Both companies have announced emission reduction targets: PGG plans to cut emissions to 90,000 tons by 2030 (a 30% reduction from 2024 levels), as announced at a conference organised by Instrat and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) in May 2024. JSW aims for a 30% reduction between 2018 and 2030.
The EU Methane Regulation sets emission limits – 3 tonnes of methane per kilotonne of coal extracted from 2027 and 3 tCH₄/kt from 2031. According to the reports published by the State Mining Authority on 5.11.2025, two out of three companies covered by the Regulation (PKW and PGG) already fall under the first limit. The 2031 target will pose a certain challenge.
The above data are, however, the most optimistic interpretation of the Regulation, which leaves uncertainty as to what does the limit concern: each mine separately, or the entire company. The second option allows to fit the limits more easily, because it divides the total emissions by all of the coal extraction, even from the non-emitting mines, which the problem of harmful emissions does not concern. The only one “left behind” to experience the undiluted limits is the private PG Silesia, owner of a single mine, while the State-Owned companies once again are in a favorable position.
Another issue is with counting only the ventilation emissions. Though It is their main source, the unutilised methane is also emitted through drainage stations (shown on the methane flow chart in the Mining tab). For PGG, it amounted to 15.4 kt in 2024, which is close to 12% of the company’s total emissions. It is worth noting that, starting 2025, releasing methane from drainage stations is banned and it should be utilised or reduced completely.
From the logical point of view, the efforts to decrease the emissions of a harmful gas should focus on all of the emissions from the mines that actually do emit it. Perhaps what we are dealing with here is an attempt to dilute the law, to which – at least until now – there was no opposition on behalf of the State Mining Authority. The reports are accompanied by a statement that they have not been assessed by a verifier, as required by the regulation.
What level could the fines reach in a less optimistic scenario? In our report “Dangerous and costly methane,” we estimate that fines under the EU regulation could reach 1200–5800 EUR per ton of methane, translating to 116–581 million EUR* per year for the sector. For comparison, the current environmental fee is only 0.10 EUR per ton. The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has also warned about the risk of multi-billion-zloty penalties.
*Using the 2024 average course of 4.3064 PLN/EUR from the Polish National Bank (NBP)
Mine-level data
In 2024, 11 active hard coal mines in Śląskie and Małopolskie voivodships emitted methane. The remaining 5 active mines, including Bogdanka, emit only trace amounts. Lignite mines also emit methane but were not previously required to report emissions. Starting this year, they must estimate them, as discussed in our “Methane under scrutiny” report (soon to be published in English).
JSW’s mines are among the top methane emitters in Polish mining – 4 of the 5 most emissive mines belong to this company. In 2024, the KWK Knurów-Szczygłowice mine emitted the most methane at 89 000 tonnes.
Polish mines differ in emission intensity. The highest methane intensity is observed at ZG Brzeszcze (39 tonnes CH₄ per 1,000 tonnes of coal produced), while the lowest is at KWK ROW (6.8 tCH₄/kt).
The charts are now available on energy.instrat.pl under the “Emissions” category.
