Methane International

Dates Set for 2010 Partnership Expo in India

Clear your calendar for 2–5 March 2010! You won't want to miss the world's largest dedicated forum on methane projects, technology, financing, and policy—the 2010 Methane to Markets Partnership Expo. In cooperation with the government of India, the Expo will be held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, one of India's premiere hotels.

Building on the highly successful 2007 Partnership Expo held in Beijing, China, the 2010 Expo will give participants the chance to:

• Showcase methane mitigation projects and technologies
• Meet with potential project partners and financiers
• Learn about the latest project opportunities, technologies, and services
• Explore key technical, financial, and policy issues
• Interact with high-level government agencies from 29 countries

Call for Abstracts
If you have experience deploying commercially proven, third-party-verified technologies as part of a methane capture and use project, we invite you to share your knowledge and experience at the Partnership Expo! Submit an abstract to be considered for one of the Partnership Expo's workshop or policy sessions. Program organizers are looking for a one-page submittal on methane mitigation in one of the following subject areas:

• Agricultural sources
• Coal mining
• Landfills
• Oil and natural gas
• Cross-cutting issues

Abstracts are due on 15 August 2009, and all submitters will be contacted by 1 December 2009.

More information about abstracts and presentations (PDF, 2 pp, 24 KB).

Call for Projects
The Partnership Expo is a great opportunity to showcase your potential project and gain exposure throughout the methane community. Organizers will soon be issuing a call for projects to showcase, so keep an eye out for this important announcement. Also, you can visit the Methane to Markets Partnership Expo Web site for the most up-to-date information available.

Sponsorship
As with the 2007 Partnership Expo, you will have an opportunity to gain elite exposure for your organization or technology by becoming a sponsor and securing a booth. The Partnership Expo will allocate prime space for sponsors' display of specific project opportunities in each sector. Options for sponsorship with an application form are now available on the Partnership Expo Web site (PDF, 4 pp, 56 KB).

New, Redesigned Web Site Is On Its Way

Wikis, news feeds, widgets, podcasts, social networking—there has been an explosive growth of new Web-based communications tools and technologies to build and sustain virtual communities since the launch of Methane International. The Partnership's new Web site, scheduled to go live later in 2009, will use many Web-based features to serve the Methane to Markets multi-national, multi-lingual, and multi-disciplinary community.

The Web site has long been one of the Partnership's most valued assets. With many activities taking place across all Methane to Markets Partner Countries and sectors, the Partnership wanted to ensure that individuals can easily navigate to the news and resources that are most relevant to them. Toward this end, the new Partnership Web site includes Web 2.0 features that allow users to share Methane to Markets activities with others as well as translate any content into dozens of languages. Updates have also been made to the home page, country detail pages, and the sector landing pages to make information easily accessible.

Get ready to navigate the redesigned Web site and let us know what you think of its new and improved features.

Steering Committee Meeting to Discuss Future of Methane to Markets

Clear your calendars for upcoming Methane to Markets meetings! In September 2009 the next Steering Committee meeting will take place in Washington, D.C., expanding upon discussions that began at the January 2009 Steering Committee meeting. Don't miss this opportunity to shape the future of the Methane to Markets Partnership.

Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings

Watch for details regarding upcoming meetings for all four subcommittees. The Agriculture Subcommittee meeting will be held on 3 September 2009 in conjunction with the International Conference on Water Pollution Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation in Guangzhou, China. Next, the Oil and Gas Subcommittee meeting will be held on 14-16 September 2009 at Lake Louise, Canada. It will include a site tour, a technology transfer workshop, and the subcommittee meeting. The Landfills Subcommittee meeting will be held on 21 September 2009 with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) WasteCon 2009 conference in Long Beach, California. Finally, the Coal Subcommittee meeting will be held 12-13 October 2009 on in conjunction with the 5th Meeting of the UNECE Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane in Geneva, Switzerland.

Welcome, Bulgaria

On 11 May 2009, the Methane to Markets Partnership welcomed Bulgaria as the Partnership's 29th Partner. Bulgaria offers multiple project development opportunities to reduce methane from its landfills and will be participating in the Landfill Subcommittee. Project Network members are invited to contact Ms. Maria Ninova, Bulgaria's Methane to Markets representative from the Ministry of Environment and Water, for more information on Bulgaria and potential areas for collaboration.

Get in the Spotlight!

The Partnership's new Web site will feature Methane to Markets Partner, Organization, and Project "Spotlights"—dedicated pages that will focus on successful initiatives and key players in the Methane to Markets community. Look for our first Spotlights to debut along with the new Web site, and let us know if you would like some time in the spotlight!

Coming Soon: The First Partnership-Wide Accomplishments Report

To coincide with its five-year anniversary, Methane to Markets will publish the first Partnership-Wide Accomplishments Report later this year. The report will summarize the Partnership's collective accomplishments and global impact since its inception in 2004. The report will also include descriptions of representative projects and activities as well as the latest statistics. The report will include each Partner's involvement in Methane to Markets as well as providing an overview of Subcommittee activities and achievements by sector.

Recent Developments

• Navigating the American Carbon World. In April 2009, EPA's AgSTAR program held a workshop titled "Methane Capture and Use: Its Role as a Carbon Offset" at Navigating the American Carbon World . The workshop discussed methane capture and use from landfills, manure digesters, and coal mines as a proven means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts while producing energy; it also provided an overview of the Methane to Markets Partnership.
• Point Carbon Conference in Denmark. In March 2009 the Methane to Markets Partnership exhibited at the Point Carbon Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Partnership reached out to the carbon development market and began to get the word out about the 2010 Partnership Expo in India.
• The International Energy Agency Publishes an Information Paper on Coal Mine Methane (CMM) in China. The paper, "Coal Mine Methane in China: A Budding Asset with the Potential to Bloom (PDF, 36 pp, 2.4 MB)," identifies and examines policies, technologies, and practices in China for CMM recovery and use. The paper focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities of medium-and smaller-sized coal mines.
• CMM Roundtable in Ukraine. In April 2009, Ukraine hosted a Roundtable on proposed CMM legislation. Held at the Parliament, it was attended by approximately 50 Ukrainian coal professionals from government agencies, coal mine operators and other private companies, and international agencies such as the International Energy Agency .
• Landfill Gas-to-Energy Workshop in India. In April 2009, India's Ministry of Urban Development and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation hosted a workshop for municipal commissioners and engineers of cities with populations of one million or more on landfill gas-to-energy opportunities in India. Over 50 participants from more than 20 municipalities attended to learn about waste management in India, landfill operation and management, and carbon finance opportunities. Officials from the City of Mumbai presented on its landfill project—the first in India to flare gas. The workshop also included a tour of the Ahmedabad dumpsite and the new sanitary engineered landfill that is currently under construction.
• First Landfill Operations and Maintenance Workshop in Colombia. Working off the success of similar workshops held previously in Argentina and Mexico, the U.S. EPA conducted a two-day workshop in April 2009 on landfill operations and maintenance best practices. Organized in partnership with the Colombian Center for Cleaner Production , the workshop was part of the continuing collaboration between Colombia and the United States under the Methane to Markets Partnership. Approximately 80 landfill technicians, project developers, and government officials attended.
• Mexico Landfill Gas Model 2.0. In March 2009, EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) traveled to Mexico to launch the updated Mexico Landfill Gas Model . The refined model includes additional field data and advanced modeling techniques. It expands upon the waste composition data, adding information from cities and landfills throughout Mexico. LMOP held a workshop to give hands-on training to members.
• Oil and Gas Presentation in Uruguay. In April 2009, Methane to Markets presented at the Latin America and Caribbean Oil and Gas Conference, Arpel 2009 , in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Remarks focused on methane emission identification and qualification technology. In additional, Methane to Markets met with stakeholders from oil and gas companies, such as Repsol YPF , Ecopetrol , Petrobras , and PEMEX ; the Uruguayan government; and the Inter-American Development Bank on collaborative projects to reduce methane emissions in the oil and natural gas sector.
• Successful Methane to Markets Side Event at U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. Methane to Markets held a very successful side event in May 2009 at the U.N.'s 17^th Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD17) . With CSD's focus on the interlinkages between agriculture and environment, the side event demonstrated the Partnership's significant accomplishments in accelerating the deployment of anaerobic digesters in Partner Countries. The Methane to Markets Agriculture Subcommittee Co-Chair from Argentina made a presentation, as did representatives from the Administrative Support Group and the U.S. EPA.
• Methane to Markets Partnership Visits India. In April 2009, the Administrative Support Group for the Methane to Markets Partnership visited with several key Indian Government Agencies, the World Bank , the U.S. Embassy, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to discuss planning for the 2010 Partnership Expo. Additionally, Methane to Markets met with staff at Taj Palace in New Delhi, India to preview the venue and discuss logistics for the 2010 Partnership Expo.
• Landfill Gas Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria. In April 2009, EPA staff from the Landfill Methane Outreach Program traveled to Nigeria to provide training support for Nigeria's first landfill workshop. The Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) and the International Solid Waste Association organized the workshop to coincide with WAMASON's Annual Waste Summit . The workshop included sessions on transitioning to sanitary landfills, landfill operations and maintenance, landfill gas-to-energy basics, and project financing.

If you would like your announcement included in our next quarterly roundup of recent developments in the methane community, send it in for consideration. Also, visit our news and events page for information on past Methane to Markets gatherings.