The study reviews, for the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the world’s regulations and methodologies for estimating methane emissions in the natural gas sector. In addition, the study presents an opinion that addresses the relevance of these methodologies and their application to estimating methane emissions from natural gas facilities in Israel.
Methane (CH4) is emitted into the atmosphere from a variety of natural and anthropogenic sources. According to climate models, in terms of GWP (Global Warming Potential), methane affects global warming 25 times more than carbon dioxide (CO2), according to a 100-year forecast. Since the time methane remains in the atmosphere is shorter than that of CO2, the reduction of methane emissions from anthropogenic sources would be effective in reducing global warming in the near future.
Off-shore oil and gas extraction has been a growing industry in recent years. In marine gas production, it is necessary to extract and transport gas to shore, and as a result, gas may be released during the process or it may be necessary to burn it. Methane is emitted from non-focused leaks from the gas systems’ equipment, controlled release, deliberate combustion of gas, processing facilities, gas transmission and distribution pipes, and gas storage facilities. Global figures show that Methane emissions from rigs constitute 25% of the emissions in the manufacturing sector and 9% of all methane emissions in the oil and gas industry.
