Guidelines for the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005) and Technical Discussion of the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005A)

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007(Act), the Regulations made under that Act and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008 (the Determination) establish the legislative framework for a national greenhouse and energy reporting system. The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Technical Guidelines assist corporations to understand and apply the Determination, however, only limited information is provided in the Technical Guidelines regarding fugitive emissions from open cut coal mines.

This document contains additional guidance to industry for the measurement, estimation and reporting of fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from open cut coal mines, with particular reference to sampling and reporting approaches that comply with the guiding principles set out in the Determination. The intent of this document is to:

· Provide general and practical information for designing a program for:

· Drilling and sampling

· Gas content and composition testing

· Data reporting and analysis

· Fugitive gas estimation

· Emissions reporting

· Provide an auditable framework to facilitate transparency and comparability in process for evaluation and reporting.

· Provide methods for assessing  bias, accuracy or uncertainty of the estimation consistent with the guiding principles and estimation requirements of the Determination.

· Provide a check list for completeness.

The document describes a series of minimum technical standards or requirements which, when applied appropriately, lead to the establishment of a site emissions estimate. The format of these Guidelines is intended to complement and facilitate a decision-making process that achieves this outcome.

Accompanying this, is a document titled Technical Discussion of the Implementation of NGER Method 2 or 3 for Open Cut Coal Mine Fugitive GHG Emissions Reporting (C20005A) which provides a discussion of coal seam gas measurement and estimation concepts supporting the process steps outlined in the Guidelines Document (C20005). The topics presented in the technical discussion document are based on detailed discussions with industry professionals and researchers with specialist expertise within the specific fields covered. These discussions and considerations represent the most up to date thinking on open cut fugitive gas estimation at this point in time. Some of these topics are presented for background information only, whilst others detail how a series of scientific facts were amalgamated to form a single transparent outcome that is now part of the ACARP Guidelines.

Words and phrases used in this document that are also defined in the Act, the Regulations, the Determination or the ACARP Guidelines should be interpreted as having the same meaning.