The area studied covers unmined Pennsylvanian Ćwiklice and Dankowice coal deposits located in the southern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. The geological structure of the area clearly affects the current distribution of methane. The content of methane is lower in coal seams lying within porous and permeable sandstones (Łaziska sandstones), whereas it is higher in seams that occur in sequences (Mudstone Series) where impermeable shales and mudstones occur. Due to the previous attempts to extract methane from boreholes, this area, characterized by a dense network of exploratory and prospecting drillings, is worth analyzing with regard to the conditions of methane occurrence in terms of extraction possibilities. Using contour maps, cross-sections and profiles, the variability of methane content and resources, as well as the moisture and ash content of coal seams, were analyzed. Methane content isolines are parallel to the boundary between the Cracow Sandstone Series and the Mudstone Series and to main faults. Coal moisture contents clearly reduce methane contents. A high methane content >8 m³/t coal^daf is typical for coal seams in which moisture contents do not exceed 5%. High- and medium-volatile bituminous coal in the area is characterized by low methane saturation, though saturation increases with depth. Coal permeability is variable (from 0.2 to more than 100 mD), but, below a depth of 1200 m, a clear trend of decreasing permeability with depth is evident. From the point of view of coalbed methane (CBM) recovery, relatively low coal permeabilities and methane saturation levels could make CBM output problematic in the studied area. Methane production will be more probable as a result of demethanation of the Dankowice 1 deposit, where coal mining is planned. This will result in the emission of methane into the atmosphere from ventilation shafts and methane drainage stations. Therefore, effective use of the gas captured by the methane drainage station is highly desirable for environmental and economic reasons.

Methane emissions into mine workings and the atmosphere are still a significant environmental and work safety problem. Since 2000, the Rydułtowy coal mine, located in the western part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, has been struggling with significant methane emissions compared to the previous period. The distribution of the methane content in coal seams was analysed, and the factors that influenced it were reviewed. Then, the annual variability in methane emissions in mining excavations was investigated, and the depth of coal extraction was linked to methane conditions and the time of mining works. It has been shown that the currently observed distribution of methane in coal seams is the result of, inter alia, the geological development of the western part of the basin, the lithological character of coal-bearing Carboniferous deposits and overburden, and fault tectonics. The sorption capacity of coal seams decreases with increasing temperature and the coal rank. The amount of methane emitted into mine workings depends mainly on the methane content in the coal seams in mining sites and on the sorption capacity of the coal seams. The depth of exploitation, increasing from year to year, leads to an increase in the methane content in coal seams and a simultaneous decrease in the sorption capacity of coal, which will result in higher methane emissions in the future.

The extraction and economical use of methane from coal mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland (USCB) have shown a variable tendency in recent decades, with numerous fluctuations from year to year. In 2021, approximately 286 million m3 of methane was collected from coal mines, which accounted for approximately 40% of the total emissions of this gas to mine workings. Due to the fact that the economical use of coal mine methane brings environmental, economic and work safety benefits, increasing its extraction is an urgent need. Trends in changes in the amount of mined methane in the entire USCB and in the deposits where the most methane was extracted in the last 25 years were analysed. The most important potential factors influencing the variability of coal mine gas extraction were taken into account, i.e. elements of the geological structure, coal extraction, methane emissions, mining and technical conditions, etc. The directions for using the collected methane and the main consumers were discussed. The aim is to indicate the most important problems faced by coal mining in terms of the capture and management of methane over the last 25 years and to outline possible solutions.

Coalbed methane (CBM) is the only unconventional gas in Poland with estimated recoverable resources. The prospects for developing deep CBM have been explored in recent years by drilling deep exploration wells within the depocenter of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The purpose of this study is to analyze the occurrence and potential for CBM extraction in this area of the basin, which can be considered prospective due to the confirmed presence of significant amounts of gas and thick coal seams at depths > 1500 m. The study examined the vertical and horizontal variability of the gas content in the studied area, the coal rank in the seams, thermal conditions, and coal reservoir parameters. The gas content in the seams, reaching more than 18 m³/t coal^daf at a depth of 2840 m, and indicative estimated gas resources of 9 billion m³ were found. The high gas content is accompanied by positive thermal and coal rank anomalies. The permeability and methane saturation of the coal seams are low, and therefore, potential methane production may prove problematic. However, the development of CBM extraction technologies involving directional drilling with artificial fracturing may encourage gas production testing in the study area.