Partners

Coordinating Unit:

Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (IETU)
http://www.ietu.katowice.pl

IETU is a research and development unit acting under the Polish Ministry of Environment. IETU provides services to national regulators using 35 years of experience in environmental research, aimed at developing the scientific basis for policies and strategies, and a staff of 100, including 65 scientists. IETU also works with private businesses, R&D units, and academia. One of IETU's key activities is assessing the environmental impact of air, water, and soil pollutants.

IETU has extensive experience with projects involving international cooperation, including projects performed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Between 1995 and 2000, IETU participated in a $1 million collaborative technology research and development program for environmental restoration with Florida State University and DOE: Agreement for technical Exchange and Cooperation between The Department of Energy of the United States of America and The Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas of the Republic of Poland in the Area of Environmental Restoration and Hazardous Waste Management. This program identified, developed and evaluated environmental technologies for the remediation of contaminants. Demonstration projects executed under this program were conducted according to the DOE management and documentation standards, including the development of relevant procedures on data quality assurance, test plans, sampling campaign designs, and the dissemination and communication of program activities.

In Europe, IETU has partnered in 26 project consortia of the EU Framework Programme for Research and Technology Development. Within Poland, the Institute is active in coordination and support actions to facilitate the cooperation between research and businesses in the area of environmental technologies. These activities include the promotion of eco-innovative solutions and facilitating eco-innovations market development in Poland. IETU is also a coordinator for developing the scientific basis for implementing the Environmental Technology Action Plan (ETAP) in Europe and in Poland. One key part of the research agenda for ETAP is renewable energy resources, including methane as a gaseous fuel.

As the project sponsor, IETU's role is to coordinate and manage the Zory abandoned mine project during all phases of accomplishment. This role includes supervision and monitoring of the work progress and preparing periodic progress reports as required by EPA. IETU maintains a project webpage on its organization's website. This webpage tracks project accomplishments and provides access to project documents for the life of the project. IETU also enters the "Żory Project" into the Methane to Markets project database and maintains the database information along with the project website.

Because of its experience, qualified personnel, and research background, IETU conducts all of the Zory Projects environmental impact analyses and reports, both during the Żory Project realization (site works) and, especially, during exploitation.

 

Project Contractors:


LNG-Silesia Sp. z o.o.
http://www.lngsilesia.pl

LNG-Silesia was founded on May 12, 2005, to develop LNG markets in Poland and Europe. The company produces LNG from waste and stranded methane gas resources, including CMM. Using waste and stranded resources allows LNG Silesia to produce a clean-burning fuel alternative while helping to eliminate major contributors to global warming. LNG Silesia has an in-house engineering team that specializes in the design, implementation, and operation of small distributed-scale liquefaction systems. By implementing advanced technology, LNG Silesia is able to produce LNG economically on a small distributed scale. The company sells LNG to a number of different end users to displace traditional fuels such as oil, diesel, gasoline, and liquefied petroleum gas.

LNG Silesia was formed on the basis of an agreement between Prometheus Energy Company (PEC), an American joint stock company from Seattle dealing mainly in the area of renewable and clean energy, and a Polish company, CETUS, described below. LNG-Silesia's first project in Poland is located at the operational/active"Krupinski" coal mine and consists of the conversion of CMM that is now being ventilated to the atmosphere into LNG. The Krupiński project utilizes PEC purification and liquefaction technology. LNG Silesia anticipates using similar PEC technology for the construction of the liquefaction facility at the abandoned Żory mine.

LNG Silesia's experience and unique access to PECs proprietary technology is directly suited to performing the technology assessment to determine the appropriate design of the purification and liquefaction facilities. The company's current activities also enable it to perform the LNG market assessment.

 


CETUS - Energetyka Gazowa Sp. z o.o.
http://www.cetus.pl

CETUS was established on April 6, 2000, within the restructuring framework of PGNiG S.A. The company's business activities focus on comprehensive services (designing, building, exploitation) related to the oil and gas (among other things, pipelines, technological facilities and systems), municipal (water supply and sewage systems) and energetic (heat distribution networks, heating systems) industries. The company has branches in Nysa, Wołczyn, Świętochłowice, Częstochowa, Rudy, and Kraków. Certificates: ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004, PN-EN729-2

CETUS is a shareholder in LNG Silesia and is the owner of the concession for searching and developing CMM and CBM within the Zory mine area. CETUS is responsible for all geological works included in the "Żory Project". These works include developing the estimate of obtainable methane resources, evaluating the state of existing research and technical wells, preparing the plan of geological works, including obtaining the necessary permits and agreements, and performing the gas tests and analysis of the gas samples.

 


Thompson Hine LLP
http://www.thompsonhine.com

Founded in 1911, Thompson Hine LLP is a nationally recognized law firm offering a full range of services to clients. The firm has eight offices, located in Atlanta, Brussels, New York City, Washington, D.C., and a number of major cities in Ohio.

Thompson Hine has an active and varied Energy Project Finance and Transactions practice. We represent a broad range of clients in more than 35 states and 15 countries, including:

  • domestic and international companies
  • gas and electric utilities and their unregulated subsidiaries
  • renewable energy and industrial companies
  • energy project developers
  • construction companies
  • natural gas pipeline and distribution companies
  • trade associations
  • financial institutions and energy technology funds universities
  • embassies

Thompson Hine is uniquely qualified to serve as legal counsel to the Zory Project. The firm has prior experience with the Methane to Markets Partnership having served as legal counsel to the first Polish M2M proposal submitted in 2007. Based on this experience, Thompson Hine was approached by the Polish Embassy to identify potential M2M project candidates out of which emerged the Zory Project. Once this project was identified, the firm contributed its expertise and resources to the preparation of the proposal to the EPA.

Thompson Hine provides counseling regarding project development and its operational compliance based on both US and Polish legal requirements, as well as contractual commitments involving project contractors. Thompson Hine assists in the preparation of project reports, supplemental responses and related information.