High rates of methane spewing from U.S. Permian oilfield operations - report
CREDIT: REUTERS/ANGUS MORDANT
Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey released Tuesday that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured.
WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey released Tuesday that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured.
The latest research conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund via helicopter during the first two weeks of November found that 14% of those plumes were the result of malfunctioning flares.
Researchers also found that at one-third of smaller wells significant emissions persisted for days. The aerial survey of the largest U.S. oilfield showed that leaks arose from different pieces of equipment at different times.
This was the eighth aerial survey conducted by EDF's PermianMAP initiative, which monitors methane from the upstream, downstream and midstream operations in the oilfield. The survey comes weeks after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first regulations targeting methane from the country's existing oil and gas facilities.
The Biden administration also set a goal to reduce 30% of all methane emissions by 2030 as part of its participation in the Global Methane Pledge, which was formally launched at the U.N. Climate summit in Glasgow.
“This research makes clear that the agency (EPA) must tackle frequent, large emissions from smaller wells if we’re going to have a shot at achieving our climate goals and protecting communities from air pollution,” said Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory and legislative affairs at the EDF.
Oil and gas companies that operate in the Permian have tried to show they intend to address the high rate of methane emissions from the basin ahead of the forthcoming EPA rules.
The Permian basin accounts for 20% of Exxon Mobil's XOM.Ntotal oil and gas operations. The oil major said on Monday it will deploy advanced satellite technology and data-processing platforms to detect methane emissions.
U.S. unveils crackdown on methane from oil and gas industry
More than 100 countries join pact to slash planet-warming methane emissions
CONTRIBUTOR
Valerie Volcovici
Valerie Volcovici
Reuters
PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2021
PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2021
WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey released Tuesday that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured.
The latest research conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund via helicopter during the first two weeks of November found that 14% of those plumes were the result of malfunctioning flares.
Researchers also found that at one-third of smaller wells significant emissions persisted for days. The aerial survey of the largest U.S. oilfield showed that leaks arose from different pieces of equipment at different times.
This was the eighth aerial survey conducted by EDF's PermianMAP initiative, which monitors methane from the upstream, downstream and midstream operations in the oilfield. The survey comes weeks after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first regulations targeting methane from the country's existing oil and gas facilities.
The Biden administration also set a goal to reduce 30% of all methane emissions by 2030 as part of its participation in the Global Methane Pledge, which was formally launched at the U.N. Climate summit in Glasgow.
“This research makes clear that the agency (EPA) must tackle frequent, large emissions from smaller wells if we’re going to have a shot at achieving our climate goals and protecting communities from air pollution,” said Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory and legislative affairs at the EDF.
Oil and gas companies that operate in the Permian have tried to show they intend to address the high rate of methane emissions from the basin ahead of the forthcoming EPA rules.
The Permian basin accounts for 20% of Exxon Mobil's XOM.Ntotal oil and gas operations. The oil major said on Monday it will deploy advanced satellite technology and data-processing platforms to detect methane emissions.
U.S. unveils crackdown on methane from oil and gas industry
More than 100 countries join pact to slash planet-warming methane emissions
Bloomberg News
Josh Saul
Publishing date: Dec 13, 2021
(Bloomberg) — A satellite spotted two plumes of planet-warming methane rising from a patch of East Texas that’s home to multiple oil and gas operations.
State regulators said they couldn’t identify the source of the methane, which is the primary component of natural gas and traps 80 times as much heat than carbon dioxide in its first two decades in the atmosphere. Stemming methane leaks and stopping unnecessary releases is one of the most powerful steps that can be taken to slow global warming.
The two plumes were detected by geoanalytics company Kayrros SAS using a Nov. 29 satellite observation from the European Space Agency. Kayrros estimated that the plumes originated from different sources east of Dallas, about 15 miles apart, in an area dotted with fossil fuel infrastructure.
The plumes had estimated release rates of 21 tons per hour and 24 tons per hour. It’s not possible to determine the duration of leaks because satellites only capture one moment in time. If they lasted an hour, the two clouds combined would equal the average annual emissions from about 800 cars running in the U.S.
Some methane plumes found by satellites can be tracked to specific sources, especially if a company reveals that it released gas at that location at that time. But without anyone stepping forward, the source of such plumes — where multiple companies are operating in a small area — can remain a mystery. On-the-ground monitoring is also sometimes used to link releases to specific producers.
Companies operating pipelines nearby include Boardwalk Pipelines LP, Enbridge Inc. and Atmos Energy Corp. Boardwalk said it didn’t have any leaks or releases that could have caused the clouds. An Enbridge representative said the company isn’t aware of any such release. Atmos didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Texas regulators also weren’t able to identify the source of the methane plumes. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality wasn’t aware of the plumes, a representative said. A spokesperson for the Railroad Commission of Texas, the primary state regulator of the oil and natural gas industry, referred questions to the TCEQ.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Emissions study finds EPA's proposed methane rule might not go far enough
HIGHLIGHTS
Leaks found at 40% of sites surveyed
Single inspections not enough to reduce emissions: EDF
Author
Brandon Evans Jack Winters
Editor
Richard Rubin
An environmental study found 40% of all the oil and natural gas sites analyzed in the Permian Basin were leaking significant amounts of methane as the US Environmental Protection Agency pursues a new rule to crack down on emissions.
The Environmental Defense Fund study, conducted via helicopter between Nov. 12 and Nov. 21, detected "significant plumes" of methane from about 40% of the 900 sites surveyed.
The study, released Dec. 14, discovered methane emissions from multiple sources, including malfunctioning flares, surveyed pipelines and about half of all surveyed midstream facilities.
"The fact that EDF can still see those plumes of methane is a travesty," said Chris Romer, CEO of the certification firm Project Canary. "It is giving a black eye to the reputation of US oil and gas at a time when clean US oil and gas should be driving the climate solution."
In November, the EPA proposed new regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The proposed rules would require operators to regularly find and fix their emissions. The agency's goal is to reduce 30% of all methane emissions by 2030. The EPA is accepting public comments on its methane proposal through Jan. 31.
"Under the current proposal, operators of smaller leak-prone facilities would only be required to conduct a one-time inspection of their well sites," reads the EDF study. "This study suggests a single inspection will not be sufficient to reduce total methane levels, since there are over half a million of these wells across the country, many with recurring leaks that could go permanently undetected."
"There are dozens of reasons why a site might be emitting high levels of methane," said EDF senior scientist David Lyon. "The only way to know what's going on and to ensure things are operating properly is to regularly check sites for problems that lead to massive pollution. Our research has consistently shown that leaks can and do happen at all types of facilities, including smaller, leak-prone wells, and the best way to control emissions is to find and fix them."
The prolific Permian not only features the highest internal rates of return per well of all North American shale plays, but its centralized location provides easy access to growing markets, including LNG terminals and pipeline exports to Mexico.
Exports to Mexico from Texas are up nearly 120 MMcf/d in December, averaging 5.2 Bcf/d month to date as of Dec. 15, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics. The monthly increase comes as Mexico demand has climbed nearly 100 MMcf/d on the month to 7.7 Bcf/d month to date, 250 MMcf/d above the five-year average, due to warmer-than-normal temperatures across the country.
December exports are up nearly 200 MMcf/d on the year due to lower LNG imports, which are down to 13 MMcf/d this month compared with 130 MMcf/d in December 2020. Mexico's LNG imports have gradually fallen over the past couple years due to multiple pipeline expansions, falling from 580 MMcf/d in 2019 to 260 MMcf/d in 2020 and just 56 MMcf/d in 2021. This has largely been supportive for the Permian as exports from Texas have climbed from 4.4 Bcf/d in 2019 to 5.4 Bcf/d in 2021, according to Platts Analytics.
HIGHLIGHTS
Leaks found at 40% of sites surveyed
Single inspections not enough to reduce emissions: EDF
Author
Brandon Evans Jack Winters
Editor
Richard Rubin
An environmental study found 40% of all the oil and natural gas sites analyzed in the Permian Basin were leaking significant amounts of methane as the US Environmental Protection Agency pursues a new rule to crack down on emissions.
The Environmental Defense Fund study, conducted via helicopter between Nov. 12 and Nov. 21, detected "significant plumes" of methane from about 40% of the 900 sites surveyed.
The study, released Dec. 14, discovered methane emissions from multiple sources, including malfunctioning flares, surveyed pipelines and about half of all surveyed midstream facilities.
"The fact that EDF can still see those plumes of methane is a travesty," said Chris Romer, CEO of the certification firm Project Canary. "It is giving a black eye to the reputation of US oil and gas at a time when clean US oil and gas should be driving the climate solution."
In November, the EPA proposed new regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The proposed rules would require operators to regularly find and fix their emissions. The agency's goal is to reduce 30% of all methane emissions by 2030. The EPA is accepting public comments on its methane proposal through Jan. 31.
"Under the current proposal, operators of smaller leak-prone facilities would only be required to conduct a one-time inspection of their well sites," reads the EDF study. "This study suggests a single inspection will not be sufficient to reduce total methane levels, since there are over half a million of these wells across the country, many with recurring leaks that could go permanently undetected."
"There are dozens of reasons why a site might be emitting high levels of methane," said EDF senior scientist David Lyon. "The only way to know what's going on and to ensure things are operating properly is to regularly check sites for problems that lead to massive pollution. Our research has consistently shown that leaks can and do happen at all types of facilities, including smaller, leak-prone wells, and the best way to control emissions is to find and fix them."
The prolific Permian not only features the highest internal rates of return per well of all North American shale plays, but its centralized location provides easy access to growing markets, including LNG terminals and pipeline exports to Mexico.
Exports to Mexico from Texas are up nearly 120 MMcf/d in December, averaging 5.2 Bcf/d month to date as of Dec. 15, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics. The monthly increase comes as Mexico demand has climbed nearly 100 MMcf/d on the month to 7.7 Bcf/d month to date, 250 MMcf/d above the five-year average, due to warmer-than-normal temperatures across the country.
December exports are up nearly 200 MMcf/d on the year due to lower LNG imports, which are down to 13 MMcf/d this month compared with 130 MMcf/d in December 2020. Mexico's LNG imports have gradually fallen over the past couple years due to multiple pipeline expansions, falling from 580 MMcf/d in 2019 to 260 MMcf/d in 2020 and just 56 MMcf/d in 2021. This has largely been supportive for the Permian as exports from Texas have climbed from 4.4 Bcf/d in 2019 to 5.4 Bcf/d in 2021, according to Platts Analytics.
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