Global energy sector methane emissions estimated by using facility-level satellite observations

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Atmospheric Science
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Methane emissions from the energy sector (oil, gas, coal) are a major source of greenhouse gases.
• These emissions possess significant potential for mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate global 2023 methane emissions from energy sector point sources.
• To utilize the high spatial resolution GHGSat satellite constellation for this estimation.

Main Methods:

• Employed the GHGSat satellite constellation for high-resolution methane emission detection.
• Analyzed data from 3114 identified emission sites globally.
• Compared satellite-derived estimates with the Global Fuel Exploitation Inventory (GFEIv3).

Main Results:

• Detected 8.30 ± 0.24 million tonnes of methane emissions annually from 3114 sites.
• Oil and gas sites emitted above the detection limit 16% of the time; coal sites emitted 48% of the time.
• GHGSat's estimate was 12% of GFEIv3's total and 24% at observed locations, showing good country-scale but weak grid-scale spatial correlation.

Conclusions:

• Satellite observations provide a valuable, high-resolution dataset for quantifying energy sector methane emissions.
• Discrepancies between satellite estimates and inventories suggest areas for improved emission reporting and mitigation strategies.
• The GHGSat data reveals significant methane leakage from energy infrastructure with potential for targeted reduction efforts.