MethaneSAT is a satellite¹ was designed to measure emissions of methane, the second most common greenhouse gas, and is expected to be fully operational in 2025. MethaneAIR is an aircraft equipped with the same detectors as MethaneSAT. Its impressive data shows what can be done from an aircraft and how important this is for an oil and gas industry that emits large amounts of methane.

The satellite and aircraft are EDF (Environmental Defense Fund) projects. Their measurements are reliable and, with MethaneSAT, will be relatively continuous. They will provide a wealth of data that will help oil and gas companies identify and fix their leaks. They will provide data for monitoring by regulators and provide definitive information to countries overseas that want to import clean methane gas, or LNG, from the US – an emerging industry. This will also strengthen emissions reporting to states in light of their climate policies and to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), a US federal agency that recently introduced new guidelines on methane leaks.

Maps of methane hotspots

The results of over 30 MethaneAIR flights from June to October 2023 are breathtaking¹First, 12 major oil and gas basins in the U.S. emit a total of 7.5 million tons per year (nearly 900 tons per hour). It’s a significant source of climate pollution, with methane causing up to 80 times more warming per pound than CO2. And since natural gas is essentially methane, that wasted gas could power about half of all U.S. homes each year. That wasted gas is worth a lot of money.

Second, the EPA has a large inventory of methane emissions, provided in part by oil and gas companies. EDF’s new airborne methane measurements show that the EPA’s numbers are underestimated.¹ by a factor of about 4. In early 2024, new EPA rules were issued that limit methane emissions and provide physical solutions and incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Third, EDF’s methane leakage rate from the air is only 1.6% of gas production in the 12 basins, significantly higher (eight times more) than the 0.2% target set by 50 companies at the COP28 climate conference in November 2023.

Maps of the MethaneAIR data are shown in Figures 1 and 2. The diffuse, purple-colored background in Figure 1 is an integration of all methane sources, except for the point sources represented by yellow circles. The point sources originate from a single source (or well) or a cluster of sources.

Basin comparisons were carried out¹The Permian was the largest emitter of total methane emissions, followed by the Appalachian Basin (northeastern United States) and the Haynesville Basin (eastern Texas and Louisiana).

Basins such as the Permian, Eagle Ford (East Texas) and Bakken (North Dakota and Montana) have emissions rates of about 2%. Probable reasons for this are associated gas production, where the gas is economically insignificant compared to oil. This gas is vented while waiting for a gas pipeline or is improperly flared, leaving unburned methane and CO2 in the exhaust.

Other basins contain older wells in depleted formations, such as the Uinta Basin, where methane leakage can be more than 7%. One possible reason is leaks that were never repaired, and now there is diminishing returns.

Point source and diffuse emissions

Point sources of emissions come from a single source (e.g. well or storage tank) or a group of sources. MethaneAIR has a detector threshold to distinguish point sources from isolated exhaust emissions that are above this threshold.

Based on the relative sizes of the circles in the legend, the largest yellow circle in Figure 2 has an emission rate of about 20,000 kg/h. This equates to 20 tonnes/h, which must be a huge amount of gas released per hour as gas is so light. This point source is definitely an outlier as the source is missing from the next day’s flyover. EDF needs to explain what is going on here.

The bottom line is that MethaneSAT will be able to identify super-emitters that can quickly distort the overall emissions of a given oil or gas play. Maps like Figures 1 and 2, when available for free in 2025, should motivate responsible companies to fix their leaks in a timely manner. State and federal regulators will be looking at the same methane maps.

Certified gas

Certified gas, also called RSG (Responsibly Sourced Gas), has been assessed by an independent third party and certified to have been produced and distributed with demonstrably lower methane leaks. Some companies certify gas internally. Others, such as the independent company MiQ, assess the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire LNG supply chain: methane, CO2 and nitrogen oxides. The role that MethaneSAT can play in natural gas certification is obvious.

The Fed’s suspension of LNG permits

The Biden administration has suspended the issuance of permits for some planned new LNG trains in the US in January 2024. This has been discussed at length elsewhere. The administration’s dilemma is that LNG exports provide energy security and reduce emissions by displacing coal-fired power plants. On the other hand, LNG causes carbon emissions from methane leaks during LNG production and distribution and from CO2 when LNG is burned.

In this case too, the EDF satellite MethaneSAT will be invaluable for measuring methane leaks, as it can be used to better assess the interaction of factors mentioned above.

LNG imports to Europe and Southeast Asia

EDF points out¹ that the European Union, as well as Japan and South Korea, which are major LNG importers from the US, are currently studying the methane footprint in the LNG supply chain. They are looking for new emissions standards to qualify LNG imports. Here too, MethaneSAT will be a big win for the booming overseas trade in LNG.

Global guidelines for methane

The IEA (International Energy Agency) wants to keep global warming below the 1.5 degree limit recommended in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The IEA calls for a 75% reduction in methane emissions from fossil fuels by 2030, just 5.5 years from now. Monitoring by MethaneSAT would significantly help to monitor the contribution of oil and gas.

Take away

According to EDF, human behavior related to the release of methane is responsible for about 30% of global warming¹The best way to slow global warming is to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, agriculture and waste disposal. The detection and measurement by MethaneSAT will be invaluable.

reference

1. Jon Coifman, New data shows that methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas industry are more than four times higher than EPA estimates and eight times higher than industry targets. Press release, July 31, 2024.