US Onshore Oil and Gas Facilities Leak 7.5 Million Tons of Methane Annually, 4 Times Higher Than Estimated

TapTechNews August 1st news, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in the US released a report yesterday (July 31st), saying that the latest measurement results show that the amount of methane leaked, flared, and vented from US onshore oil and gas facilities every year is 7.5 million tons, which is 4 times the figure estimated by regulatory agencies.

The measurement results also show that the rate at which oil and gas producers emit methane into the atmosphere exceeds 8 times the emission target they advertised.

Measurement Method

The relevant data was collected by MethaneAIR. This is a specially equipped jet that measured over 70% of the onshore oil and gas production areas in 48 US states.

The data of MethaneAIR comes from more than 30 flights conducted by a specially equipped jet rented by the EDF from June to October last year.

MethaneAIR uses a similar technology to that of MethaneSAT, which is a satellite developed by the Environmental Protection Fund and was launched in March this year. It is planned to start providing public data later this year and will be fully operational in early 2025.

Measurement Results

The total emission rate observed in most areas of the 12 major production basins in the US will reach 7.5 million tons per year, which is about 860 tons per hour when converted.

BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil and other 50 largest oil and gas companies announced an emission intensity target of 0.2% at the UN Climate Summit last year, while the latest test results show that the total methane loss rate in the 12 basins is 1.6%, which is 8 times that.

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