February 28, 2025
Chaired by Dr Cathy Foley, a group of scientific, technical and operational experts have been appointed to the Atmospheric Measurement of Fugitive Methane Emissions Panel by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Future Energy Exports CRC (FEnEx CRC) is pleased to announce that CEO Eric May has been appointed to this Panel.
FEnEx CRC recently released a report on fugitive emissions management. It reviews and analyses current methods for determining fugitive emissions in LNG plants, building upon the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme. It first examines estimation procedures based on emission factors at the facility, equipment and component levels. Findings include identified problems with prescribed calculation methods and situations where discrepancies between estimation methods can arise.
The second part of the report focuses on measurement methods for fugitive emissions, particularly advancements in methane sensing technologies. These technologies have made significant progress both in terms the scale at which they can be applied (atmospheric surveys), spatial resolution and detection limits, with the potential to capture at least 90% of methane emission rates calculated at the asset level. Remote sensing technologies, such as those on aerial and satellite platforms, are identified as valuable tools for detecting and quantifying methane plumes over LNG plants and surrounding regions.
The report concludes with recommendations for regulatory authorities, the oil and gas industry, and key stakeholders. Recommendations for regulatory authorities include implementing fixes in the NGER scheme, introducing industry segmentation in emissions calculations and updating regulations to incorporate new measurement technologies. Recommendations for the oil and gas industry and stakeholders involve developing strategies for methane emission inventories, analysing emission sources across the value chain, reconciling measurement approaches, establishing cooperative initiatives for emissions measurements, conducting R&D for methane slip determination, utilizing drones and airplanes for measurement campaigns, and exploring the potential of satellite technology.
A copy of the fugitive emissions management report can be obtained from the FEnEx CRC website.