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This article focuses on Shanxi, a major coal province in China, and details its exploration and breakthroughs in the emission reduction and utilization of low-concentration methane (mainly derived from coal mine gas). Low-concentration methane emission is a significant challenge in methane emission reduction in China's energy sector, particularly in Shanxi, a major coal mining area. This region has experienced a prolonged methane emission issue due to technological limitations, delayed policies, and unfavorable economic factors. Shanxi has charted a course from "discharging" to "burning" methane through locally adapted technologies, such as "low-concentration gas direct-fired heating." This strategic shift is in line with the revision of national standards and the strengthening of local policies. Direct-fired technology has become a key solution to reducing low-concentration gas emissions thanks to its high energy efficiency, low investment, and strong adaptability. Currently, relevant teams are expanding this technology to broader industrial fields such as glass manufacturing. They are also calling on existing safety regulations to catch up with technological innovations, opening more space for low-concentration methane management.

On April 28, 2025, the ACTION 2035 Climate Solution Shanxi Center convened a meeting, inviting relevant experts and industry representatives to engage in an in-depth discussion on electric energy substitution in the industrial sector in Shanxi Province during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The objective was to explore effective pathways for electric energy substitution and to identify its potential application areas. The meeting also aimed to provide research and decision-making references for the green and low-carbon transformation of industries in Shanxi, enabling the realization of double carbon goals. A policy briefing was written based on the discussions between experts and industry representatives. It outlines the progress of electric energy substitution, substitution practices and paths in key industries, challenges, and future policy priorities. The briefing indicates that Shanxi Province, as a comprehensive pilot of the national energy revolution and a traditional industrial base, has the conditions and needs to be in the forefront of industrial electrification transformation.

This report focuses on the good practices of Chinese enterprises in reducing low-concentration coal mine gas emissions in Shanxi province, a region rich in coal and coalbed methane resources. Through expert interviews and field research, it looks at how selected enterprises have reduced coal mine methane within existing policy frameworks, using current technology, and in today’s market, while generating both economic and environmental benefits. The report also summarizes the key factors for replicating and promoting the implementation of these practices.