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Aerial surveys detect dozens of methane 'super-emitters' in Permian Basin
26/1/2022
News
Massive methane emissions have been detected in oil and infrastructure around 30 oil and gas facilities operating in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Tracked in aerial surveys for three years by Carbon Mapper, the emissions are estimated to be the equivalent of half a million cars.
The ‘super-emitters’ account for 0.001% of the Permian Basin's oil and gas infrastructure but emit around 100,000 t/y of methane. Repair of those leaks could save around $26mn in escaped natural gas, according to the Carbon Mapper report.
‘The magnitude of emissions coming from a handful of methane sources in one of the top oil and gas producing regions illustrates the opportunity to make significant near-term progress toward the stated methane reduction goals of the US and other countries and companies around the world,’ Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper and a researcher at University of Arizona told Reuters.
Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change after CO2. Last year, the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first regulation targeting methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities. It aims to introduce a proposal this Spring outlining measures for routine flaring and smaller-sized wells.
