A coal mine in a remote part of Russia is spewing massive amounts of the very powerful greenhouse gas, described as the “largest” leak of methane ever from a single facility.
The Raspadsky mine in the Kemerovo region in southern Russia is releasing about 90 tons of methane every hour, according to new data from GHGSAT, a company that uses satellites to monitor methane leaks from space.
The company said it detected 13 separate methane plumes during a satellite pass on January 14, 2022, and observed more plumes at later dates.
GHGSat founder and president Stefan Germain told CNN on Wednesday that the January 14 leak was not a one-time occurrence — the company has consistently detected leaks from the facility over the past five months.
GHGSat said that if emissions continued at the same rate for a year, the mine would emit more than 764,000 tons of methane – equivalent to the amount of natural gas needed to power 2.4 million homes for a year.