Gas Industry Combines on Methane Leak Guidelines

Gas producers, European infrastructure operators and technical associations announced April 29 the publication of their first common industry guidelines to help companies set methane emission reduction targets.

Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, in the short term. Emissions upstream, midstream and downstream form a stumbling-block to the broader acceptance of gas as part of the solution to a net-zero carbon economy, and there are also different measurement methods in place.

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The document says that "although many European gas companies have already set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, there is a need to better understand the nature of these targets as well as to define homogeneous guidelines for emissions target setting."

Together with operational measures to effectively manage methane emissions, the establishment of companies' voluntary emissions reduction targets can help them set a clear and measurable objective against which to assess their progress, said Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) in a statement.

"This document is the fruit of an excellent collaboration exercise across the value chain. A significant number of European gas companies have targets in place, and some of those who don't are willing to do so as well. We encourage our members and all gas value chain actors who are considering to establish methane emission reduction targets to do so based on these technical guidelines" said GIE board member Francisco de la Flor of Spanish Enagas.

"Expectations on our industry are high, and we're proud to see the way the whole value chain has stepped up. We hope these guidelines will encourage even more companies to join this effort and help further strengthen the environmental credentials of natural gas,"said the European director of International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, Francois-Regis Mouton.