Alkane makes the connection

Renewable energy company Alkane revealed this week that it has completed the connection of two methane-powered generation plants to the electricity supply grid.

Fuelled by methane captured from abandoned coal mines, the two sites, at Bevercotes and Markham, have a combined generating capacity of 5.4MW.

The Nottingham-based company said two further coal mine methane (CMM) sites, at Mansfield and Whitwell, Derbyshire, are making ‘excellent progress’. When fully functioning they will contribute another 2.7MW of generating capacity, and are expected to be operational by this autumn.

CMM is formed when methane trapped inside layers of coal is released during mining. The gas is regarded as a hazardous byproduct, disposed of by mining companies during their operational life. After a mine is closed a large quantity of CMM remains in disused shafts and continues to escape into the atmosphere. Methane is considered to be a significant contributor to global warming, with an environmental impact 20 times that of carbon.