The technology was first piloted at Illawarra Coal’s Appin Colliery in 2001 and the $13 million West Cliff project is the final step in proving the technology.

The West Cliff Ventilation Air Methane Project (WestVAMP) will utilise 20% of West Cliff’s available mine ventilation air to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 200,000 tonnes CO2-e per year.

This is equivalent to producing enough electricity for 20,000 homes, or removing emissions from 45,000 cars from the environment each year.

The Australian Government is contributing up to $6 million towards the project through the Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program.

BHP Billiton believes that this project is an example of how technology can play a key part in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. This technology has the potential to be used in other coal mines in Australia.

“To date, the principal form of greenhouse gas mitigation has been through the consumption of mine methane drainage gas at the Appin and Tower Power Plants. These plants alone reduce Illawarra Coal’s greenhouse gas emissions on average by 2.5 million tonnes CO2-e per annum,” said Illawarra Coal president Colin Bloomfield.

“Further reductions in Illawarra Coal’s greenhouse gas emissions can only be achieved through reduction of fugitive emissions of methane in the mine ventilation air,” he said.

Bloomfield said methane concentrations in mine ventilation air are typically less than 1.25% by volume which is not freely combustible with conventional combustion technology. These and other factors have made reducing greenhouse emissions in mine ventilation a significant technical challenge.

WestVAMP will be located alongside existing surface facilities at West Cliff Colliery. It is based on VOCSIDIZER™ technology developed by Swedish emission control specialist MEGTEC System AB.

This coverts low concentration methane to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour though an oxidation, or flameless combustion, process. High efficiency heat exchangers recover the large levels of thermal energy released to produce high quality steam. This steam is used to drive a conventional steam turbine to generate electricity.

The WestVAMP project builds on more than seven years of cooperative development work with MEGTEC aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including the successful pilot plant at Appin Colliery.

On top of cutting methane emissions, the project will generate 6 MW of electricity from the steam turbine which will be a source of energy to be used within the West Cliff Colliery.

Construction is scheduled to commence later this year with commercial operation planned for mid 2006.