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Methane

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken (a) in England and (b) internationally to reduce the effects of methane emissions.

Asked by

Andrew Rosindell (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

5 July 2006

For answer on

10 July 2006

Answered on

24 July 2006

UK methane emissions between 1990 and 2004 fell by an estimated 50 per cent., mainly as a consequence of reductions in sectors such as waste, agriculture, coal mining and natural gas distribution.More recycling, helped by the introduction of the landfill tax, and an increase in the capture of landfill gas for energy recovery, has led to an estimated 63 per cent. fall in landfill emissions since 1990. There has been a 40 per cent. decrease in landfill emissions since 1999, when the Government increased the landfill tax to £10 per tonne of waste. Agriculture accounts for around 41 per cent. of UK methane emissions, and emissions from this sector have fallen by an estimated 13 per cent. since 1990.We are currently reviewing our approach to anaerobic digestion, which can help to capture and utilise emissions from manures and slurries, as part of the Government’s response to the Biomass Taskforce Report. Additionally we are continuing to fund research on options to reduce direct emissions from ruminants.Methane emissions from coal mining fell by more than 70 per cent. between 1990 and 2004 due to the closure of coal mines as a consequence of fuel switching in the energy supply industry and UK Coal participation in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Methane gas extracted from mines and used as fuel has been exempt from the climate change levy since 2003. This exemption encourages the owners of mining facilities and decommissioned mines to invest in systems that capture methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.Fugitive emissions from natural gas have fallen by about 39 per cent. between 1990 and 2004. National Grid Gas, which owns and maintains the UK gas distribution network, is continuing to improve the UK gas network. Internationally, the UK is taking an active role in the international Methane to Markets Partnership, and will co-chair a new Agriculture Sub-Committee with Argentina. This will examine the scope for capturing methane from animal wastes in a cost-effective way.

Date

24 July 2006

Reference

449 c720-1W; 84239

House

House of Commons

Climate Change

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of methane emissions from trees and other plants.

Asked by

Chris Ruane (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 May 2006

Reference

446 c1193W; 70332

House

House of Commons

Fuel-testing Pilot Projects (Biogas Project) Regulations 2006

SI 2006/1348 (Negative instrument). Together with an explanatory memorandum from Treasury. Coming into force 10 June 2006

Department

Revenue and Customs

Type

Statutory instruments

Date

18 May 2006

Reference

SI 2006/1348

House

House of Commons; House of Lords

Climate change: the UK programme 2006.

Type

Command papers

Date

28 March 2006

Reference

Cm 6764;SE/2006/43

House

House of Commons

Greenhouse Gases

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the annual emission of methane gas emitted by (a) cattle, (b) sheep and (c) pigs; and if she will make a statement.

Asked by

Chris Ruane (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 February 2006

Reference

48242; 442 c1352-3W;442 c1352-3W

House

House of Commons

Methane Emissions

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to reduce methane emissions in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Asked by

Andrew Rosindell (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

16 January 2006

For answer on

18 January 2006

Answered on

25 January 2006

UK methane emissions have fallen every year since 1990 and by 2004 had dropped to about half of 1990 levels. The main sources of methane emissions in the UK are landfill sites, agriculture, coal mining, gas distribution, and oil and gas production.Landfill site operators that continue to accept waste must fulfil the requirements of the Landfill Directive including taking appropriate measures to collect, treat and use landfill gas to produce useful energy or, where that is not possible, flare it. Other government measures to reduce the levels of biodegradable waste being sent to landfill include the landfill tax escalator, the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (designed to meet the Landfill Directive targets), and public awareness campaigns. Together these measures have resulted in a decrease of about 63 per cent. in landfill methane emissions between 1990 and 2004.The nature of emissions from agriculture make them a more difficult to target for reduction than in other sectors. Nonetheless, improvement in animal diet and productivity has produced an 11 per cent. decrease in methane emissions from animals since 1990, and further reductions are expected. Recent research from the Rowett Research Institute, based in Aberdeen into anti-methane feed ingredients has yielded promising results, and in initial trials a reduction of up to 70 per cent. in emitted methane has been achieved. The UK Government remain committed to research into reducing methane emissions from ruminants. We are also committed to exploring techniques for methane recovery from agricultural waste and its use as a clean energy source.With regard to methane from coal mining, UK Coal signed up to the UK Emissions Trading scheme in 2002, with the target of reducing methane emissions from their installations by 400,000 tonnes by 2006. Furthermore methane extracted from abandoned coal mines and used as fuel has been exempt from the climate change levy since 2003. This exemption encourages the owners of mining facilities and decommissioned mines to invest in systems that capture methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. In addition the Coal Authority and the Department of Trade and Industry are developing a scheme further to encourage the mitigation of methane from abandoned mines. Methane emissions from coal mining (including closed mines) fell by some 73 per cent. between 1990 and 2004.Fugitive emissions from natural gas dropped by about 39 per cent. between 1990 and 2004. National Grid Gas plc, which owns and maintains the UK gas distribution network, is continuing to make improvements to the UK gas network. The planned replacement of 91,000 km iron gas mains with polyethylene pipes will lead to a further reduction in methane emissions from gas transmission.Methane emissions from offshore production of oil and gas fell by 53 per cent. between 1990 and 2004 in line with trends in numbers of installations and production levels.

Date

25 January 2006

Reference

43702; 441 c2114-5W

House

House of Commons

Landfill

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of (a) closed and (b) operating landfill sites capture methane for electricity generation; what volume in total was captured in the last period for which figures are available; and what estimate she has...

Asked by

Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2005

Reference

30924; 440 c2383W

House

House of Commons

Methane energy

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of energy that will be generated from methane from (a) waste sites, (b) coal mines and (c) other sources in each of the next three years.

Asked by

Paul Flynn (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 July 2005

Reference

11318; 436 c1282w;436 c1281-2w

House

House of Commons

Methane Gas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has commissioned into the viability of using methane gas to generate electricity.

Asked by

Rob Wilson (Conservative)

Answering body

Department of Trade and Industry

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

5 July 2005

Reference

5412; 436 c284W

House

House of Commons

	Methane emissions (Mt CO2equivalent)
Category	1990	2004
Cattle	15.85	14.25
Sheep (includes goats and deer)	4.48	3.73
Pigs	0.71	0.49

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