The event highlights the relevant impact of projects supported by the EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) on the just transition of the European former coal regions, and aims at raising awareness of the fund’s vital role in the regional transition towards the objectives of the European Green Deal.
This workshop will showcase several RFCS-funded projects, with a focus on methane emission abatement and the repurposing of coal mines.
The RFCS’s role in supporting implementation of the EU Methane Regulation of 2024 under the Fit-for-55 policy package will be presented in detail given its potential to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another panel will discuss how RFCS projects complement the Just Transition Mechanism with land restoration, repurposing of mining infrastructure and creating opportunities for new green jobs.
Participants will also be informed about opportunities for future projects under the upcoming “Big-Tickets” and annual calls of the RFCS Research Programme for 2025-2026. Insights from the European Commission will be shared on EU priorities for coal-related research and the importance of aligning project proposals with the European Green Deal’s objective of achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050.
Project teams will share their experiences on managing successful projects, highlighting their ambitious goals and the results of their current work. The event will feature Q&A sessions and networking opportunities for those interested in current and future RFCS projects.
- coal | green economy
- Thursday 15 May 2025, 09:00 - 17:00 (CEST)
- Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland
Practical information
- When
- Thursday 15 May 2025, 09:00 - 17:00 (CEST)
- Where
- CarbonariumJastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland
- Languages
- English
Description
Agenda
08.30 Registration
Keynote speeches (with PL<>EN interpretation)
09.30 Mr. Ryszard Janta, President of JSW
09.40 Prof. Marzena Czarnecka, Polish Minister of Industry
09.50 Mr. Marc Lemaître, Director-General, European Commission DG Research & Innovation
10.00 Mr. Leszek Pietraszek, Vice-Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship
10.10 Mr. Marc Tachelet, Director of the European Research Executive Agency
10.20 Prof. Alicja Krzemień, President of EURACOAL
10.30-11.15 Coffee break
Session 1 – Methane mitigation strategies at EU coal mines
11.15 “Reduction of methane emissions from post mining goafs to minimise their inflow into Ventilation Air Methane”
REM RFCS Big Ticket Project
February 2023 – July 2027
Presented by Artur Badylak, JSW
The REM project aims to reduce methane emissions from abandoned mine methane (AMM) in post-mining goafs. It involves intelligent management of low-content AMM using advanced technologies, monitoring VAM emissions, and converting methane to electricity and heat. This project supports the Global Methane Pledge and aims to minimise coal mines’ carbon footprint.
“Reduction of Ventilation Air Methane Emissions in the Coal Mining Transformation Process”
PROVAM RFCS Research Project
October 2023 – September 2026
Presented by Carsten Walddörfer, Dürr Systems AG and Jacek Skiba, Central Mining Institute
The ProVAM project aims to reduce Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) emissions in European underground coal mines by addressing dust load, humidity, and variable air and methane flows. The project involves major industry players and scientific units, with results to be tested in Poland’s GIG Experimental Mine “Barbara” and disseminated globally.
11.45 Panel discussion on how RFCS projects will help implement the new Methane Regulation
Panellists: Dinko Raytchev, Methane strategy team, European Commission; Magdalena Jarkulisz (tbc), Director of Oil and Gas Department, Polish Ministry of Industry; Ryszard Janta, President, JSW; Jarosław Zagórowski, Director of Central Mining Institute
With introduction of projects recently granted: “Methane monitoring of abandoned coal mines” (MEMO) by Hafid Baroudi, Programme Manager, Institut national de l'environnement industriel et des risques (INERIS); and “Methane to Hydrogen Conversion for Emission Reduction and Energy Generation” (METH2GEN) by Renata Cicha-Szot, Head of Department of Petroleum Engineering, Oil and Gas Institute.
Moderator: Jürgen Tiedje, Head of Unit for Industrial Transformation at European Commission
Q&A
12.45-14.00 Lunch
Session 2 – RFCS projects on the repurposing of coal mines
14.00 “Sustainable and intelligent mine waste management towards green deal economy pilot and demonstration project GI-mine (Green and Intelligent mine)”
GI-MINE RFCS Pilot and Demonstration Project
July 2024 – December 2027
Presented by Marcin Głodniok, Central Mining Institute (2-minute video)
The GI-mine project aims to pilot the optimisation of waste management in mining by developing circular solutions and guidelines. It focuses on sustainable management of mining waste, including soil substrate utilisation, and greenhouse heating using excess heat energy. The project supports the European Green Deal and targets dissemination in Central Europe, Southern Balkans, and Mongolia.
From “RECOVERY of degraded and transformed ecosystems in coal mining-affected areas” to “Leveraging the competitive advantages of end-of-life underground coal mines to maximise the creation of green and quality jobs”
GreenJOBS RFCS Research Project
July 2022 – December 2025
Presented by Pedro Riesgo Fernández, University of Oviedo (including 5-minute video)
While the RFCS research project RECOVERY July 2019 – June 2023contributed to the rehabilitation of coal mining-affected areas, restoration of ecosystems by evaluating ecosystem contributions to human wellbeing, the RFCS project GreenJOBSaims to provide mining companies with two innovative business plans: a Virtual Power Plant and a Green Hydrogen, promoting sustainable local economic growth and maximising the number of green, quality jobs. Also exploring on restoration of coal mining ecosystems.
“Transition Information Modelling for transition from coal exploitation to a re-vitalised post-mining land”
TRIM4Post-Mining RFCS Research Project
August 2020 to July 2023
Presented by Jörg Benndorf, TU Bergakademie Freiberg
Development of an advanced information system to transform coal mining sites into landscapes for agriculture and industry while recovering energy and materials from waste. Using a high-resolution database and multi-sensor monitoring, the project tracks changes in coal waste dumps, identifies contamination risks, and forecasts impacts.
14.30 Panel discussion on the repurposing of closed coal mines, on what has been achieved so far, and on what still needs to be done. Panellists will explore the impacts on jobs and what ambitions there are for new, green jobs.
Panellists: Robert Pollock, Senior Advisor to the EU Coal Regions in Transition Initiative; Grzegorz Sikorski, Director, Silesian Voivodeship Labour Office in Katowice; Jarosław Wieszołek, President, SRK; Magdalena Chawuła, Programme Director, Forum Energii; Małgorzata Staś, Director of the Department of Development and Regional Transformation at the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland
With introduction of projects recently granted: “Raising awareness of small local communities in the process of coal mining transition” (RAISING) by Julia Haske, Head of Land use & Transition, Research Center of Post-Mining, Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola, Bochum; and “From COal to Farm” (COFA) by Christos Roumpos, Director of Mining Engineering and Closure Planning Department at PPC.
Moderator: Sebastiano Fumero, Head of Unit for Future Low Emission Industries at the European Research Executive Agency
Q&A
Future opportunities, conclusions and closing remarks
15.30 Next steps for the RFCS, Jürgen Tiedje, Head of Unit for Industrial Transformation at European Commission DG Research & Innovation
15.45 The RFCS Annual and Big-Ticket Calls 2025-2026 – opportunities for project proposers, Sebastiano Fumero, Head of Unit for Future Low Emission Industries at the European Research Executive Agency
15.55 Concluding remarks by EURACOAL Secretary-General Brian Ricketts
16.10 Networking drinks