OREANDA-NEWS. Russian company “Severstal-Resource” and German company STEAG Saar Energie AG have signed the statement about joint work on the project of optimization of decontamination and recycling of mine gas methane at the enterprises of company “Vorkutaugol”.

According to the press-service of the company “Severstal-Resource”, the power-plants, which are planned to be applied within the frameworks of the project on three industrial platforms, will allow to effectively use methane, which is pumped out from collieries at the coal mining.

It will essentially raise safety of coal output, will lower emission of hotbed gases and will allow generating additional thermal and electric energy for needs of “Vorkutaugol”. For maintenance of financing of the project within the frameworks of ratified by Russia and Germany Kyoto Protocol the parties are going to use the mechanism of joint realization.

The mechanism of joint realization is one of the tools of realization of Kyoto Protocol used by industrially developed countries for reduction of emissions of hotbed gases at realization of actions abroad. The mechanism of joint realization allows one industrially developed state implementing projects on reduction of emissions in other industrially developed state, spending the account of these reductions in own state.

The planned capacity of the equipment for generation of electric power on mines of Vorkuta will reach approximately 62 megawatt by the end of 2010. The equipment on decontamination and recycling, which is operating on mines now, will be included in the developed concept of supply of the enterprise with electric power and heat.

According to the tentative estimations, the potential volume of decrease in emissions of hotbed gases under the project can reach 12,2 million tons of CO2-equivalent during the period from 2008 till 2012.

Severstal Resource is a company, which controls the enterprises of Severstal-Group’s resource division. The assets of Severstal Resource are formed by share holdings of JSC Kusbassugol, JSC Karelsky Okatysh and JSC Olenegorsky mining and processing plant. Since June 2003 Severstal-Group controls the biggest coal-mining association of Komi Republic - JSC Vorkutaugol. The enterprises being the parts of “Severstal-Resource” made 5,4 million tons of coal concentrate, 2,2 million tons of coked coal, 2,1 million tons of power coal, 9,5 million tons of iron ore pellets and 4,5 million tons of iron ore concentrate in 2006.

STEAG Saar Energie is the broadly based energy specialist in the south-west of Germany. Incorporated in STEAG, the energy arm of the Essen-based RAG Group, it offers its customers the advantages of a large-scale energy network. STEAG Saar Energie provides electric power and heat, mobile power units, balance area management, decentralized supply solutions and renewable energy production. Only in Saar seven units with capacity of 65 megawatt each annually make 450 million kWh of electric power. In Northern Rhine-Westphalia approximately 500 million kWh of electric power from firedamp is made in addition.